2026-10-05 - City Council

00:00All right, we're going to go ahead and

00:02call this evening's meeting of the city

00:03council to order. The date is Monday,

00:05October 5th. The time is 6:06 p.m. Uh we

00:09have a proposed amended agenda. And

00:12councelor Singh, could I ask you to make

00:13a motion on our amended agenda, please?

00:16>> Yes. A motion to amend and adopt the

00:18agenda as follows. Add to the consent

00:20agenda item 5.12 resolution Northern

00:23Border Regional Commission authorized

00:26officials board of finance per counselor

00:28Tra Council President Travers per Nicole

00:31Loch.

00:32>> Thank you councelor Singh. Is there a

00:33second to that agenda as amended?

00:38>> Thank you councelor Carpenter. Uh all in

00:42favor of the amended agenda please say

00:43I.

00:44>> I.

00:44>> I. Any opposed? That carries

00:47unanimously. The second item on our

00:50agenda is public forum. It is war for

00:52warned for a time certain, however, of

00:546:30 p.m. And so we will turn to uh

00:57other items on our agenda. I will also

00:59note that at 6:15 p.m. we'll be turning

01:02to our local control commission meeting.

01:04Uh but again, we will come back to

01:06public forum at 6:30 p.m. which would

01:08take us now to merit general city

01:10affairs. And mayor, happy to turn the

01:12floor to you.

01:13>> Great. [clears throat] Thank you,

01:15President Travers. Good evening everyone

01:17and thank you for being here tonight

01:19whether in person or online. I want to

01:21speak to a few items both on your agenda

01:23and a couple things within the city as

01:25an update since we just met a week ago.

01:27Um but there's always things happening

01:28in the city. So tonight both board of

01:31finance and the city council are voting

01:32to approve a resolution for annual

01:34fiscal year 27 borrowing for capital

01:37needs. Specifically, this resolution is

01:39asking the board of finance and city

01:41council to authorize up to 13 13.5

01:44million in new borrowing for fiscal year

01:4727 and existing voterapproved capital

01:50projects. Of this $7 million would be

01:52for annual capital needs in fiscal year

01:5427, which is standard annual borrowing

01:57that is authorized per our city charter.

02:00That includes within that $7 million up

02:02to $2 million for the city's general

02:05capital needs. Those are things like

02:07upkeep of our buildings and other

02:08ongoing maintenance of our city assets.

02:11Up to $3 million for our Burlington

02:13Electric Department. They have their own

02:14capital needs. So that is the keeps them

02:17operational for their assets. And up to

02:20$2 million for the Burlington School

02:22District. This is a continued annual

02:24practice we have to help our partners at

02:25the school district be able to go out

02:27and bond for a larger chunk of money

02:29together to help everyone with their

02:30interest rates. The remaining $6.5

02:33million is for infrastructure projects

02:36that voters have already authorized. In

02:39March of 2025, Burlington voters

02:41approved borrowing up to $20 million for

02:44infrastructure and capital projects

02:46associated with the city's 5-year

02:48capital plan. So, to be clear, the vote

02:51tonight is not asking voters for a new

02:54$6.5 million authorization. The voters

02:56have already approved this borrowing up

02:58to $20 million. The action tonight would

03:01be the council moving forward with a

03:03portion of that authorization. We are

03:05requesting the board of finance and city

03:07council to act tonight on this

03:09resolution together because our

03:10municipal advisors advised us that

03:13waiting for the city council approval on

03:15October 26, which is your next meeting,

03:17could result in higher borrowing costs

03:19that would make our debt more expensive

03:21due to market shifts with interest rates

03:23continuing to rise. Lower bond rates uh

03:27interest rates generally mean lower

03:28costs for Burlington and therefore less

03:31pressure on residents taxes.

03:33Additionally, doing both of these

03:35transactions at one time being the $7

03:37million and the $6.5 million also

03:40reduces transaction costs for the city.

03:43These considerations align with my

03:45administration's commitment to keep

03:46affordability as our top priority.

03:49Moving on, you also tonight on the

03:52consent agenda have something related to

03:54our main wastewater treatment plant

03:55improvement project. We have uh so this

03:58this is again this item on the agenda

04:01tonight concerns affordability for

04:02residents as well. Our water resource

04:05division is asking the city to move the

04:07next phase of our very large wastewater

04:09treatment project forward while using

04:12cost-effective state financing to keep

04:14the cost impact on water sewer customers

04:16as low as possible. Burlington voters

04:19approved a $152 million wastewater and

04:23storm water bond in March of 2025,

04:26including about $127 million for

04:30improvements to the main wastewater

04:31treatment plant. This wastewater

04:34treatment plant hasn't been had a

04:36comprehensive overhaul in more than 30

04:38years and several systems are at the end

04:41of their useful lives. Additionally, new

04:43regulations require additional

04:45phosphorous treatment and expected

04:47housing growth means that treatment

04:48plant will eventually need more

04:50capacity. Tonight, the city is asking

04:53the council to approve the work needed

04:54to finish designing stage one of the

04:57main wastewater treatment plant

04:59improvement project and prepare for its

05:01construction. Importantly, the city

05:03wants to use loans from WA Vermont's

05:05Clean Water State Revolving Fund as much

05:08as possible because its favorable

05:10financing conditions will reduce the

05:12size of future rate increases for water

05:14and wastewater customers. DPW Water

05:17Resources will be returning to the

05:19council in early 2027 to share project

05:22updates and revise cost estimates.

05:25Moving now on to shelter and

05:27homelessness. Alongside affordability,

05:29housing has been one of my top

05:31priorities during my first term as

05:33mayor, and our work is deeply rooted in

05:35the values of centering housing as a

05:37human right. We treat housing as a vital

05:39public infrastructure that is essential

05:41for our communities to function and to

05:43thrive. Because housing isn't a means to

05:46an end, it's the very foundation that

05:48makes everything else possible. And when

05:50people do not have access to housing,

05:52shelter becomes an essential part of

05:54that foundation. Within the context of

05:56Vermont's historic homelessness crisis,

05:59shelters play a critical role in meeting

06:00an immediate and fundamental need when

06:03our societal institutions are failing to

06:05do so. They provide safety, dignity, and

06:08support to our neighbors who have

06:10nowhere else to go. They benefit

06:12community safety and public health, and

06:14they provide pathways to towards service

06:17connections and ultimately a more stable

06:19and thriving future for the individual

06:21impacted. Last week, I spoke at the

06:23one-year celebration and community open

06:25house for the foundation's family

06:27shelter, which is CBOE's high barrier

06:30communal living shelter program in

06:32Burlington. Committing committed to

06:34providing safe, supportive housing and

06:36resources for families experiencing

06:38homelessness. For families experiencing

06:40homelessness, shelters are essential to

06:42keeping them safe and for keeping

06:43families together. I want to highlight

06:45what's been we we've been seeing an

06:47unprecedented number of unsheltered

06:49families in Burlington's area, which is

06:52shocking and deserves urgent attention.

06:54The event held at the um at the

06:57foundation's family shelter reminded all

06:59of us that we must work together and

07:01have a full spectrum of housing and

07:03shelter options that meet all people

07:05where they are at different phases of

07:07their life. This ma this means that this

07:09found the shelter is such a crucial part

07:11of our community infrastructure. It

07:13meets families experiencing homelessness

07:14where they are and by offering a secure

07:16and welcoming environment. It also

07:18allows them to seek the services they

07:20need to be able to transition into

07:22stable and permanent housing. I'd like

07:24to just acknowledge councelor Barlo was

07:25there with me last week as well as

07:27former city councelor Dave Hartnett and

07:29it was great to see partnership from the

07:30council there. So, thanks for attending.

07:32Uh just a moment of data because I was

07:34in a meeting today just to put in

07:36context because sometimes people lose

07:37the thread about what this crisis really

07:39means in terms of numbers and the people

07:41behind it. Uh I saw numbers today that

07:44currently as of July 2026 in the the

07:47Chittnik County area we have 619

07:50households households not individuals

07:52who are experiencing homelessness. About

07:55300 or so folks are unsheltered in and

07:58around Burlington itself. And those

07:59numbers are not necessarily

08:00interchangeable. Many folks who are

08:03living outside, rough sleeping, etc. are

08:06not enrolled in the state's coordinated

08:07entry program for which that 619 figure

08:11comes from. Uh we have only 303

08:14yearround shelter beds in Chitten County

08:17and of that more than twothirds of those

08:19shelter beds are in the city of

08:21Burlington. Of course, we will continue

08:23to do our part, but this is an important

08:25moment to acknowledge that Burlington is

08:27truly saturated with the amount of

08:29obligation we are holding for not only

08:32the region, but largely the state as

08:34well. I am grateful for the critical

08:36work of many community partners in

08:38supporting our neighbors experiences on

08:40homelessness. Our shelter operators and

08:42staff show us the kind of community we

08:44can choose to be and I hope we continue

08:46to heed that call. I will continue to

08:48call on the governor and our regional

08:50leaders and municipal leaders to work as

08:52partners in opening an emergency shelter

08:55here in this in the Chitten County. This

08:57would provide immediate critical support

08:59for the unprecedented number of people I

09:01just mentioned living outside in our

09:03city, which is especially important as

09:05we approach winter.

09:07I think we're really at the moment where

09:08this is a moral imperative for both our

09:10state and regional leaders to work

09:12together on this critical issue. I

09:14appreciate the rec recent action by the

09:16Church Street Marketplace Commission to

09:18propose to the governor ideas for

09:20solutions and resources that would help

09:22address our homelessness, substance use,

09:24and mental health challenges. This

09:27Friday, I will be testifying at the

09:29joint house human services and senate

09:32health and welfare committee about

09:33homelessness, mental health, and

09:35substance use crisis at the state house.

09:38Specifically, I will speak to our si how

09:40our city is shouldering the burden of

09:42the statewide crisis and the urgency of

09:44support for our efforts given that we

09:46see the highest volume of unsheltered

09:48homelessness in the entire state. I'll

09:50report those numbers I just mentioned

09:52earlier and um as I sh I shared earlier

09:55um we really need to articulate the

09:57impacts happening here in our city

09:59because we're holding so much of it for

10:01the state. I will continue to work

10:03relentlessly to shelter more of our

10:05neighbors before winter and to establish

10:07a regional approach to this incredibly

10:09complex challenger challenge, excuse me.

10:11And as mayor, this is without question a

10:13top priority.

10:15To start to wrap up, I met last week

10:17with members and leaders of our

10:19immigrant community. Fundamentally, our

10:21responsibility as a city is to create

10:22conditions for people to feel safe,

10:25connected, and supported in our city.

10:27That means standing with our new

10:28American neighbors, partnering with the

10:30organizations that help families

10:32navigate a new community, and making

10:34sure that our young people, all of our

10:36young people, have the relationships,

10:38resources, and opportunities they need

10:39to survive, to thrive. I met with

10:42leaders from the Vermont uh new

10:44Americans Advisory uh well VNAP council

10:47sorry to see V-NAC and ALV and leaders

10:51from our uh uh Sangalisse and Congalles

10:54communities and also other leaders from

10:55our schools and healthc care

10:57institutions who work with our immigrant

10:59community every day. We initially

11:01discussed the incident that happened mid

11:03August where two young people from

11:05immigrant families in our community were

11:07involved in in an incident involving

11:09violence, but it it really became a

11:11conversation much larger around not only

11:13interrupting patterns of violence for

11:15all young people in our city, but

11:17acknowledging where we lack the

11:19connection points to provide more

11:21meaningful opportunities for our young

11:22people. We have a lot more to do and I

11:25really again appreciate uh V-NAC's

11:28report back from 2023 that called on the

11:30city and school district to take more

11:32action in a coordinated way and I

11:35recommmit the city uh to not only

11:37conversations but actionable steps

11:39forward to help make sure we heed their

11:41calls from 2023.

11:43Finally, a couple more brief updates.

11:45This past weekend was the University of

11:46Vermont's Family Weekend, which brings

11:48students f and f their families to

11:50Burlington to experience campus life and

11:53the community together. It's important

11:55to Burlington because it strengthens the

11:57connection between UVM and the city

11:59while also boosting our local

12:01restaurants, hotels, shops, and other

12:02businesses. And finally, this week is

12:05Vermont's week of action against ICE,

12:07which is taking action against ICE

12:09surveillance, targeting, and separation.

12:11I encourage everyone to check out the

12:12calendar of events. this afternoon. I

12:14attended the vigil out in Williston this

12:17afternoon and deeply appreciated the

12:19sense of community and collective action

12:20there at the vigil I attended. And with

12:23that, I am done my update. Thank you.

12:26>> Thank you, mayor. Uh we will now briefly

12:29recess the city council meeting and turn

12:31to our local control commission meeting

12:33which was warned for 6:15 p.m. And I

12:36would ask for a motion on the local

12:38control commission agenda. Uh

12:40Commissioner Broadick, could I turn to

12:42you for a motion to that end? Uh, I move

12:44to adopt the agenda.

12:45>> Thank you. Is there a second?

12:47>> Second.

12:48>> Thank you, Commissioner Mcnite. Uh, all

12:50in favor, please say I.

12:52>> I.

12:52>> I.

12:53>> Any opposed? That carries unanimously.

12:56And Commissioner Broadick, could I ask

12:58you for a motion on the consent agenda?

13:00>> I move to adopt the consent agenda and

13:02take the actions indicated.

13:05>> Thank you, Commissioner Broadick. Is

13:06there a second to that motion?

13:08>> Second.

13:09>> Thank you, Commissioner Shar. Uh, any

13:11discussion on this item?

13:14All in favor then please say I.

13:16>> I. Any opposed? That carries

13:19unanimously. We only had a consent

13:21agenda on this meeting and so uh seeing

13:24no other business before the local

13:26control commission, we will adjourn that

13:28meeting uh and resume our regular city

13:32council meeting. Again, public forum

13:34warned for a time certain of 6:30. It

13:36being 6:20. Uh we will turn to committee

13:39reports and I think if absent objection

13:43I think we will combine committee

13:44reports and city councelor general city

13:46affairs now um and then uh hopefully

13:50turn to public forum at that point in

13:52time. So uh is there any councelor with

13:55a committee report or an item on general

13:58city affairs?

14:02>> Yep. Councelor Bergman.

14:05>> Uh thank you. So, just want to let

14:08everybody know that um we um deliberated

14:12and made some tweaks to the trespass um

14:16ordinance that we were referred that was

14:19referred to us from uh the public safety

14:21committee. Um, and we're going to be

14:24holding a special meeting on the 20

14:30something or another

14:32uh 28th of this month to be able to get

14:35it on our next city council agenda

14:38because we can't turn it around fast

14:41enough. We need to be able to make the

14:42to see the exact um language and then

14:45approve it. But hopefully we're acting

14:47in a way which is responsive. And just

14:50as a a preview of that, uh we heard

14:53testimony regarding the the balancing

14:56between the rights um of people who are

15:00being cited uh for trespass and the the

15:04need for proper notice and quick

15:06deliberations

15:08uh with the complications related to uh

15:11those cases. and we've tried to balance

15:14are trying to balance those to to meet

15:17both of those and chairman Singh was was

15:20present and totally appreciate uh your

15:22participation in that and I think that

15:25we have come to um the right balance but

15:29we need to see the the language. Um on

15:31the 13th of this month, there is the

15:34collaborative planning commission and

15:37city council ordinance committee meeting

15:39on inclusionary zoning. And um I'm not

15:42exactly sure. We've gone through all of

15:45the uh the proposed amendments and we

15:48have made comments about them and uh I

15:52suspect that we will be getting back um

15:56an altered um uh proposal for us to be

16:00deliberating on. So this is moving in a

16:03way which I think um sort of balances

16:07the the the the policy undergirling

16:10related to the need to have affordable

16:13housing baked into market rate housing

16:17um projects particularly at a time when

16:20housing is so expensive and yet trying

16:23to um open up the possibility for uh a

16:27more dynamic housing um construction um

16:30in the city. So, I believe that I I

16:34would not be surprised if we would get

16:35something back in um sometime in early

16:39to mid November. Just as a as a a heads

16:42up, I'm winging that. So, I have no I

16:45have not been told that by anybody, but

16:47it just seems that that is uh the the

16:50the trajectory that it seems to me. Um

16:56and I will wait to the climate uh

17:00emergency uh part of the agenda which is

17:02not the general affairs for one other

17:04thing. So thank you.

17:07>> Okay. Uh thank you councelor Bergman.

17:10Councelor Grant.

17:13>> Thank you. Uh, first I want to say that

17:16the one community dinner is this

17:19Thursday, October 8th, and that will be

17:22followed by the Ward 2 NPA meeting um,

17:26which will be starting at 6:30. There

17:29will be a candidate forum uh starting at

17:337 pm. So if you still need to be

17:36informed about the various candidates

17:39that are running for November

17:41legislative seats, uh this would be a

17:44meeting to attend. Uh ward three will be

17:49meeting Wednesday evening and there will

17:51be a discussion about transportation in

17:55our area. Um, the other thing I wanted

17:58to mention is the uh horrific story

18:03coming out about the sexual assault at

18:06Cornell has certainly um done a lot to

18:11trigger individuals that have been

18:13victims of such assaults, people from

18:16all kinds of backgrounds um not just

18:19women. And it is led to a lot of very

18:28I'm not sure how to describe it or if

18:30there is a word to describe the level of

18:33pain and concern that people are feeling

18:36about how do we protect young women,

18:39women, young men, men and others um from

18:44what is plaguing our society. Uh we can

18:48certainly start with having

18:49conversations definitely having

18:51conversations with our boys as they grow

18:54up into young men and men. We can

18:57definitely hold institutions accountable

19:00in a way that we haven't been as this

19:02story continues to come out. There is

19:05such a profound failure at so many

19:07levels administratively and uh amongst

19:11law enforcement both the campus law

19:13enforcement and the local law

19:14enforcement. And finally, in our area, I

19:17believe it's important to heed uh

19:19warnings and concerns. We know that UVM

19:22police has put out a warning because of

19:25ongoing issues of young women um being

19:28in some of our local establishments and

19:31regretfully having drugs put in their

19:33drinks. This is not a a Burlington,

19:35Vermont problem. This is a national this

19:37is a worldwide problem. So, we need to

19:40educate our young women when they go

19:41out. You should have friends. You should

19:43have the buddy system. you should be

19:45accepting your drinks directly from the

19:48bartenders. Um, this is really important

19:51to to to be safe and have fun at the

19:54same time. Thank you.

19:56>> Thank you, Council Grant. Councelor

19:58Shakar.

19:59>> Thank you, President Travers. Um, I just

20:01wanted to give a quick update that there

20:03is a uh walk bike forum for the East End

20:07this Wednesday from 5:30 to 7:00 in the

20:10Schamanska Schmaska Park Barn. Uh it'll

20:14be a collaboration between DPW, Local

20:16Motion, and the Burlington Walk Bike

20:18Council. Um it's one of a series of

20:20neighborhood scale forums about walking

20:22and biking that they're doing across the

20:24city. So I would love to see as many of

20:26my neighbors as can make it on

20:27Wednesday. Thank you.

20:28>> Thank you, councelor Shector. Is there

20:31any other counselor with a committee

20:32report or general city affairs? Yes,

20:35councelor Singh.

20:36>> Thank you. Um, I just wanted to

20:39recognize that on Friday I was fortunate

20:41enough to be at BPD. Well, when the

20:43mayor uh and the chief recognized two of

20:48people in BPD, one uh

20:52DC Winish who has been promoted to he

20:55was uh the head of the Koozie unit, the

20:58Chitten unit of special investigations.

21:00He's now become deputy chief of

21:01operations. And then we also saw that

21:04Sergeant Burn has taken over the

21:06director of the Chitten unit of special

21:08investigations. And I want to uh take

21:10the chance to congratulate them both and

21:12also say it also shows um that

21:15Burlington within the department is

21:18recognizing that we have um excellent

21:21police officers and law enforcement

21:23folks that are able to be promoted

21:24within and have leadership

21:26opportunities. Um and it really shows us

21:28how we are rebuilding this department.

21:32um and promoting from within. So I

21:33wanted to congratulate them both um and

21:36I was very grateful to be there on

21:38Friday.

21:40Thank you councelor Sang. Any other

21:42counselor with a committee report or

21:45general city affairs?

21:50Okay. Uh councelor Bergman, is there any

21:54councelor you mentioned um the the

21:56climate emergency update. Is there any

21:58other counselor that would have a

21:59climate emergency update? I actually

22:00think that items seven and eight were

22:02were duplicative. They were not intended

22:03to be that. I would be happy to turn to

22:06you back to you briefly uh and and take

22:08that out of order to to get us to the

22:10time certain for public forum.

22:12>> Sure. Sure. I just wanted to to mention

22:14that as a followup to the ride public um

22:18press conference that the mayor was at,

22:20we have got ongoing um organizing

22:24committee um meetings. Um and the next

22:27one is going to be on uh Thursday. Um

22:31and uh this is a an important statewide

22:35effort and coalition of groups ARP and

22:40uh Vermont Natural Resources Council and

22:43350 Vermont um are all part of it. And I

22:46just want to let folks know that that is

22:48continuing. And my hope is that we can

22:51engage those candidates who are running

22:54for the state house to get engaged on

22:57this issue. Um and then we'll be talking

23:00about the fall activities and the um uh

23:05and then what to do in the legislature.

23:08So, um I've sent members of the TUK

23:11because the TUK has um endorsed the uh

23:15the effort and uh you know we've we've

23:19we've participated in it. Um but mass

23:23transit is absolutely essential for us

23:26to meet the uh the climate uh emergency

23:29head on. cannot do it. Particularly when

23:33the brainiacs

23:35in Washington have decided to eliminate

23:39uh the the new gas standards, the fuel

23:41efficiency stand. So, let's burn more

23:43carbon according to the president. Um we

23:46we need a fundamentally different way if

23:48we're going to get out of this crisis.

23:50I'm sick of the floods, sick of the

23:52droughts, and I know that the rest of

23:54the verers and Burlington's Tonians are

23:57too. So, thank you.

24:00Great. Thank you, Councelor Bergman. Um,

24:04so again, uh, absent any objection, we

24:06had combined items seven and eight there

24:09with number four, but I do just want to

24:11make sure that there's no other

24:12counselor that would have had a climate

24:14emergency or or other update.

24:18Okay, that takes us then to 6:30 p.m.,

24:22uh, which is the time we had warned for

24:24public forum. So, we'll go ahead and

24:26open public forum. We will begin with a

24:28couple Burlington residents here at city

24:30hall. We then have one Burlington

24:32resident who's online. Uh we'll then

24:35return here to city hall for one non-

24:38Burlington resident. Um if you're here

24:40in person when I call your name, please

24:42come forward to the table. Make sure the

24:44microphone is on. If you are online, uh

24:46I will let you know once you have the

24:48ability to unmute yourself on Zoom. Uh

24:51whether in person or online, uh everyone

24:54will be provided two minutes. As always,

24:56we ask that folks please direct their

24:58comments to me as the chair and not to

25:00any other individual. We uh do not

25:03accept, as a rule, any individualized

25:05attacks or comments, particularly those

25:07related to an individual's protected

25:10characteristics. We also ask that

25:11comments please refrain from being

25:13unduly loud, disruptive, vulgar, or

25:16obscene. Uh it's important that of

25:18course this be a safe place for those

25:20who serve, those in attendance, and

25:22those watching online. Uh, with that,

25:25we'll begin with our first Burlington

25:26resident here in City Hall, Chris

25:28McGrath, who will be followed by Charlie

25:30Missing, and then we'll go online to

25:32Sharon Busher.

25:39Uh, good evening. Um, tonight I am here

25:42to voice my support for something that I

25:44think is important both for uh,

25:45Burlington, but also for Vermont, uh, at

25:47large. And seeing as how this is the

25:49last city council meeting before the

25:50general election in November, um I

25:53wanted to say something about it. Uh and

25:54that is proposal four, which is the

25:56proposed equal protections amendment for

25:58the Vermont state constitution. Um I

26:02think this is a really good thing. I

26:04have talked to city council in the past

26:06about, you know, concerns around civil

26:08rights, etc. And uh proposal 4 not only

26:12helps with civil rights but actually

26:14puts the verbiage of civil protections

26:16into the state constitution which I

26:19think is important both like I say for

26:20Burlington and the state. And I'd like

26:22to take the opportunity to read what

26:23that amendment would say if it is um uh

26:27if it passes this November. It would say

26:29uh equality of rights that the people

26:31are guaranteed equal protection under

26:34the law. The state shall not deny equal

26:36treatment under the law on account of a

26:38person's race, ethnicity, sex, religion,

26:41disability, sexual orientation, gender

26:44identity, gender expression, or national

26:46origin. Nothing in this article shall be

26:49interpreted or applied to prevent the

26:51adoption or implementation of measures

26:53intended to provide equality of

26:54treatment and opportunity for members of

26:56groups that have historically been

26:58subject to discrimination. Uh, as I have

27:01heard um the Vermont Racial Justice

27:02Alliance say before, civil rights uh is

27:05important because the legacy of slavery

27:08is what made civil rights necessary in

27:10this country and civil rights is what

27:12makes democracy possible. Thank you very

27:14much.

27:17>> Thank you, Chris. I will just uh note

27:19one item for yourself and for any

27:20members of the public. We are meeting

27:22again on uh Monday, October 26th. So,

27:24there is one additional meeting between

27:25now and the general election. So, yep.

27:28>> Yeah, no worries. Um, our next

27:30Burlington resident is Charlie missing

27:33and then we'll turn online for Sharon

27:35Bush. Charlie,

27:38>> good evening.

27:40And, um,

27:42I want to tell everybody, everybody, you

27:46know, uh, happy autumn.

27:50It is autumn.

27:52And, um, took out my air conditioner.

27:56The most important thing first, as was

28:00said,

28:02uh, Wednesday

28:04the 7th,

28:06two days from now at 7:00,

28:11Ward 3 will be hosting a panel

28:14discussion on the future of public

28:17transit

28:18down in the Sharon Busher room. Hi,

28:21Sharon. Um,

28:24Abby Blathing, the UVM Office of

28:27Sustainability.

28:29Ashley Bond, UVM Health. Clayton Clark,

28:35Green Mountain Transit, Nick Longo from

28:39Burlington International Airport, and

28:42Dana Rowan Gold from the UVM

28:45Transportation Research Center, which

28:49I'm sure is a buzzing hive of activity,

28:54the Transportation Research Center. Um,

28:58yes, I I am hoping that there's some way

29:03Well, of course, other things are more

29:05important, but those vehicles are loud.

29:09And I've been reading online where

29:12people like to argue, Reddit, they call

29:16it. Uh people really want some

29:23enforcement on the uh mufflerless

29:28vehicles

29:29which terrify the town like some drunk

29:34cowboy with shooting off his pistols.

29:38We would love if something can be done

29:41about that. Bless you all.

29:46Thank you, Charlie. Uh, we'll now turn

29:49online to Sharon Busher and then after

29:51Sharon, we'll come back here for Todd

29:53Duca. Uh, Sharon, once you see the

29:57timer, you should be able to unmute

29:59yourself. Go ahead.

30:07>> Yes. Can you hear me?

30:08>> Yes. Go ahead.

30:09>> Okay. But it didn't show up as normal,

30:13so I apologize. Um, I am here tonight,

30:17well, I'm at home tonight, but I'm

30:19speaking to you regarding the

30:22communications that I sent out to all of

30:25you um with concerns about the moving

30:29forward with the tier 1A.

30:32And I I guess my concerns are not that

30:35we should not streamline the process. I

30:38agree that there's redundancy. So, I

30:40want to get that clear. But I did have

30:43some concerns. I'm concerned about the

30:45cost and potential cost shifting from

30:49the state doing a lot of work and now

30:52the city doing more of that work um with

30:55existing staff. I'm concerned about

30:57cost. I'm concerned about um overworking

31:02very valuable and talented staff that we

31:05have that currently do a lot of the

31:08work. Scott, Mary, Kurt, um I'm not sure

31:10who else. Um but I am concerned about

31:14all those things. Um uh councelor

31:17Carpenter sent my communication to to

31:20the planning director and um he

31:23addressed one of the concerns um

31:26regarding what if because we are

31:29uncertain about whether we can actually

31:31handle all of this. There are many

31:33unknowns. What if um

31:37we can't? and he stated in his

31:41communication that there could be we

31:44could remap or reszone or redineate some

31:49um um areas to be 1B as opposed to 1A.

31:54And that was reassuring. However, what I

31:57don't know from that communication

32:00um um is how long will that take once if

32:04we made that request? Is it acted upon

32:08expeditiously or is it um years before

32:13we actually get to make that change? I

32:15think that's really important to know.

32:17Um and I I really am concerned about our

32:21budgetary impact and our staffing um and

32:25impact on staffing. So, I won't repeat

32:27what's in all the communications.

32:30Um, and I hope that you contemplate and

32:34get answers as you move forward. I'm not

32:37looking to delay, but I think we need

32:39our eyes wide open and we need the

32:41answers to some of these questions.

32:43Thank you.

32:44>> Thank you, Sharon.

32:46We'll now return here to city hall. The

32:48last individual we have signed up for

32:49public forum is Todd Duca.

32:58Hi, city councilors. Um, hi President

33:01Travers.

33:03I want to tell you the story of the

33:05Mench and the mayor. Once upon a time, a

33:09city hall security guard sent

33:11anti-Semitic messages to a Jewish man

33:13who lived in town. That man went to city

33:16hall to file a complaint. Nothing was

33:18done. Months later, he brought up the

33:21incident to the mayor when he saw her in

33:23public one day. Many months later, when

33:26he saw the mayor, he asked for an

33:27apology for how the mayor's office had

33:31handled the incident. The mayor blew him

33:33off. Later, he criticized the mayor at

33:36public forum and on social media. He

33:39went to city hall one day and the public

33:42information officer told him to leave

33:46and uh hit him. Later the same day, he

33:49ran into the mayor on Church Street and

33:51tried to speak to her about the assault.

33:54She refused to speak to him. Instead, he

33:56was trespassed from city hall. The next

33:59week, he held a protest in front of city

34:02hall and the mayor sent street outreach

34:04to do a mental health evaluation on him

34:06and report back to her. She then called

34:09his rabbi to pressure him into silence.

34:13When he saw the mayor the next day and

34:15tried to speak to her about that, she

34:17again refused to speak to him. Instead,

34:20she emailed city council warning them

34:22about him. A couple weeks later, he was

34:25eating lunch on College Street when the

34:27mayor walked into the restaurant. He

34:29tried to speak to her about everything

34:31that had happened, but she ran away and

34:34locked herself in a bathroom.

34:37The next day, he was arrested, charged

34:40with stalking and aggravated disorderly

34:42conduct, and had a restraining order

34:44taken out against him. That's the kind

34:47of mayor she was. She refused to spend

34:50five minutes speaking with a

34:52constituent, but gladly spent many hours

34:54of her precious time to have her critic

34:57silenced and jailed.

35:00If this sounds uh in any way uh similar

35:04to real life, um the next hearing in

35:07Mulvaney Stanick versus Moscowitz is

35:09Friday, October 9th at 1 p.m.

35:11>> at the Civil Courthouse on Main Street.

35:13>> All right.

35:13>> Thank you.

35:14>> Thank we're at time.

35:17>> All right. With no one else signed up

35:19for public forum, we will go ahead and

35:21close public forum now at 6:41 p.m. Uh

35:26our next item is our consent agenda.

35:28Item five. Is there a motion on our

35:30consent agenda?

35:33>> So moved.

35:34>> Is there a second?

35:36>> Second. Thank you, councelor Singh. Any

35:38discussion on that item?

35:41>> All in favor then please say I.

35:43>> I.

35:43>> I.

35:44>> Any opposed.

35:46That carries unanimously. Uh we now turn

35:49to our deliberative agenda. The first

35:51item is item 6.1, an indoor

35:53entertainment permit application.

35:55Councelor Broadick, I ask you for a

35:57motion on this item.

36:00>> I move to approve the 2026 2027 indoor

36:03entertainment permit application for the

36:05boardroom 3 Mil Street with all standard

36:07conditions.

36:09>> Thank you. Is there a second?

36:11>> Thank you, Councelor Bergman. Any

36:13discussion on this item?

36:16All in favor then please say I.

36:18>> I.

36:19>> Any opposed?

36:21Carries unanimously. And councelor

36:23Brderick as uh again chair of our

36:25license committee could I ask you for a

36:27motion item 6.2

36:29>> I move to approve the 2026 2027 tobacco

36:32license application for what als 167

36:35Main Street.

36:36>> Thank you. Is there a second?

36:38>> Second.

36:39>> Thank you councelor Singh. Is there any

36:40discussion on this item?

36:43All in favor then please say I.

36:45>> I.

36:46>> I. I. Any opposed?

36:49That carries unanimously.

36:51Um and now we turn to the two

36:54substantive items on our agenda, item

36:556.3 and item 6.4. Uh the first is item

36:596.3, a resolution regarding an

37:01application for tier 1A status. And I

37:04know that we have from MSO, Director

37:06Almos Rawi, as well as uh Sarah Morgan

37:09from the planning office. And we'll give

37:11them a moment here to come to the table.

37:14Um while they are coming to the table,

37:17councelor Singh, could I ask you for a

37:19motion on this item?

37:22>> Sure. That would be uh I move that we

37:24wave the reading and adopt the

37:26resolution.

37:27>> Thank you, sir. A second.

37:31Thank you, Councelor Carpenter. Um,

37:34councelor Sang, I will ask in a moment

37:36uh whether or not you would like the

37:38floor, but if you're okay with it, I

37:40think I'll turn to our guests here uh

37:43for any presentation that they'd like to

37:45provide on the item.

37:46>> Hi, Cara Alrai, director of CEDO. I'm

37:49here with our principal planner, Sarah

37:51Morgan. Um, and I'm going to let Sarah

37:54Morgan drive this discussion um as she

37:57is the expert on this topic.

38:00>> Awesome. Thank you so much. um happy to

38:03um kind of dive in to what was addressed

38:07in the memo provided by staff u based on

38:10our last discussion or also answer

38:12additional questions. Um but um

38:16whichever one would work best first.

38:18>> I think you should just essentially say

38:19what we're doing.

38:21>> Excellent. So, we are seeking the um

38:23resolution in advance of a um

38:26pre-submission meeting or our

38:29pre-application meeting with the land

38:31use review board. Essentially, this is

38:33us seeking approval from city council

38:36and support for seeking tier 1A status

38:40for eligible um areas of the city for

38:44that tier 1A status.

38:49>> Great. Uh, councelor Singh, did you have

38:52any comments on the item?

38:54>> And [clears throat] other than I

38:56appreciated that you took the time from

38:58the last meeting from the work session

39:00to take all the questions from the

39:01counselors and provide very detailed

39:03explanation on all those items and

39:06providing that to the council. So, I

39:08just want to say thank you. I know there

39:09was a lot of time spent on that work

39:12session and I appreciate the hard work.

39:15>> Thank you, councelor Singh. I I also

39:17want to know I know that director

39:18Dillard could not be here this evening

39:19but appreciate certainly all the work

39:21that he put into this along with his

39:23other colleagues in your office Sarah.

39:25Um are there any other counselors that

39:27wish to be recognized on this item?

39:31Yep. Councelor Carpenter.

39:35Thanks. Um I am fully supportive of this

39:38and it's something probably should have

39:40happened a while ago. I just wanted to

39:43um make my own response comment to

39:46former um councelor Busher's concerns

39:49about the cost and it is something we

39:52need to pay attention to. Um but what I

39:55pointed out to her is the whole process

39:57now is very costly. It's very redundant.

40:01Um,

40:03Burlington's always had high standards

40:04and in some things higher standards than

40:07act 250 and we're repeating them many

40:10times for many developments and it's

40:13it's about time a long time coming to

40:16get this sort of cleared up and ready to

40:18go. I think what we don't know is

40:23the cost of all that. There's always

40:25been the cost of the time to the project

40:27and you know holding it back but the

40:30literal cost of paying two fees two

40:34experts um testimony we we don't know

40:37that and so um my gut is that we will

40:42get cost out of the system. Now whether

40:45we've shifted it to the Burlington staff

40:47or not we're not quite sure. So I just

40:50my conversation with um planning

40:53director Diller was we just have to keep

40:55an eye on it and uh it may likely hit

40:58DPI more than planning but we don't

41:01quite know that and I think even though

41:04this would be a little painful there

41:06there may be room in the Burlington fee

41:09structure to accommodate some growth in

41:12our office because in fact the developer

41:14won't have to do the act 250. So we'll

41:17we'll need to be figuring out how much

41:20sort of relief are they getting and you

41:23know can we dip a little bit into that

41:26to accommodate whatever staff issues we

41:29have.

41:30>> So thanks.

41:31>> Agreed. And I just wanted to quickly

41:33note I think there were some questions

41:35around staffing capacity just due to the

41:39um lack of standard information around

41:42the zoning or the act 250 permits that

41:44exist. I believe it's noted in the memo

41:47that we are fortunately one of the few

41:49few municipalities across Vermont that

41:51does have digitized

41:53um act 250 permits available online and

41:57um are excited to potentially be working

41:59with CCRPC to um hopefully have some

42:04standardization that would more easily

42:06tie those into our open gov system and

42:09maybe try and provide some relief to

42:11staff there. So, um, really just wanted

42:15to say that I think that we'll hopefully

42:17get some clarity in the coming year or

42:20so on what permits even really more

42:23detail about what exists in Burlington.

42:29>> Thank you. Thank you, Councelor

42:30Carpenter. Is there any other counselor

42:32that wishes to be recognized on this

42:34item?

42:35Councelor, uh, we'll go councelor Shakar

42:37and then councelor Litwin. Councelor

42:39Shakar.

42:41>> Thank you so much, President Traverse.

42:42Uh, and thank you, Cara and Sarah, for

42:44being here tonight. Um, I'll just be

42:47really fast. I'm I'm happy to see us see

42:50this moving forward. I'm really

42:51supportive of anything that's going to

42:53help us hopefully streamline the process

42:55for building more housing, which we

42:57critically need. Um, I just want to echo

43:01uh Councelor Carpenters's remarks

43:02regarding some remaining questions

43:04around staffing and capacity. And I'd

43:06love to talk and we can do this offline,

43:09but like are there ways where the

43:10council can just be kept a breast if

43:12we're noticing that this is quite labor

43:14intensive to maintain and in addition to

43:17looking at potential fee structures and

43:19things like that. It also feels like

43:20there may be some state partnership

43:22opportunities here from a financing

43:24standpoint um given that they're going

43:26to be relieved of some of the work

43:27they've had. Um, and I want to thank

43:29former counselor Busher for her remarks

43:32and also the email she sent this weekend

43:34because she also pointed out that

43:35there's some key expertise that we may

43:37no longer have access to at the state

43:39level as we take on um the management of

43:42these permits. So, I just want to kind

43:44of name that out loud as well and say I

43:46think there's still some open questions.

43:47Nothing that prevents me from wanting

43:49this to see this move forward tonight,

43:51but something that it would be great to

43:52just hear sort of as this is being

43:54rolled out and as there may be some uh

43:56unforeseen challenges with it or challen

43:59we just don't have full sight lines

44:00right now to what that might be that we

44:02there's a way that the council stays

44:04informed but we can figure that out

44:06later. Thank you.

44:08>> Um I do want to yes I can address the

44:10expertise but I also want to address the

44:12um point on really tracking. I think

44:15ever since the adoption of the initial

44:17neighborhood code, we've worked really

44:19closely with DPI and um the team there

44:22to track different application permits,

44:26our applications permits, general

44:28interest that comes in and I think this

44:30is a really good opportunity to further

44:32that tracking of um how our policies

44:36impact the implementation and really uh

44:39excited to explore some of that there.

44:41When it comes to the expertise, I will

44:42say um there are we're discussing this a

44:46little bit as part of the like I

44:47mentioned rare, threatened and

44:48endangered species uh and natural

44:50communities amendment that will um

44:52likely be before you all in the coming

44:54months. Um we this is something that is

44:56a standard practice for several parts of

45:00our zoning ordinance. For example, steep

45:02slopes requires um outside I um outside

45:06expertise to then um provide reports to

45:10the development review board or staff.

45:13It's likely it's likely going to be a

45:15similar way as recommended by the agency

45:17of natural resources. It's it's a

45:19practice that already exists in our

45:21ordinance. Um I'm actually running a

45:24little bit late tonight after coming

45:25from conservation board where we had

45:28some discussions on this similar topic

45:30and I think there it's another good

45:31opportunity to uh solidify with the DPI

45:35team on qualifications of qualified

45:39professionals and our um outside

45:41expertise as well.

45:46>> Thank you.

45:48>> Thank you councelor Shakar. Uh, we'll

45:51turn to Councelor Litwin and then

45:53councelor Sanchez Parkinson. Councelor

45:54Litwin.

45:56>> Uh, thank you, President Traverse. I'm

45:58sorry I couldn't be there in person. Um,

46:01I did want to ask since I hear that

46:03councelor Sanchez Parkinson would also

46:05like to be recognized if you would

46:07prefer. I do have a amended motion

46:10language that I circulated to the

46:11council a few minutes ago via email as

46:14well as um to Lori Olberg and I wondered

46:18if you wanted me to make that motion or

46:21allow councelor Sanchez Parkinson to be

46:23recognized first.

46:25>> Uh I think if you have a motion

46:28councelor Litwin it would be in order

46:29right now if you're okay with that.

46:31>> Yep. Thank you. Um, so just for the I

46:36guess benefit of everyone, um, I

46:39strongly support everything that

46:40councelor Sher just said and thank you

46:42all for the hard work, um, that you put

46:45into this. Um, and I think this is going

46:48to help streamline things and and bring

46:52uh, make housing construction a little

46:54easier. Uh, still expensive. We can't

46:56fix that, but hopefully this will help.

46:59Um the issue at hand um that I will be

47:03making the motion to amend here um is

47:07really just because we have as I have a

47:11large amount of constituents who um

47:14continue to be concerned about the

47:16preservation of city parks. I know that

47:18we discussed this in the last meeting.

47:21um this has been discussed at length in

47:23a variety of different um public spaces

47:26and forums and I think we've all moved

47:28to a really great understanding but

47:30being that the new north end was um sort

47:33of the trial for plan BTV 2050 um I I

47:37think we all learned some things there

47:38and so um to I I guess hopefully put to

47:43bed some fears that some of my

47:45constituents have um I will be making a

47:48motion to amend Line 8 uh in the

47:53document on civic clerk um to say

47:57important natural resources,

48:00city parks, comma, and open spaces to

48:04make it abundantly clear within this

48:07document that we will um work to

48:10conserve those spaces and that city

48:13parks are considered um natural

48:17resources and open spaces, I'm sure. But

48:19I wanted to be explicit here. Thank you.

48:24>> Thank you, Councelor Litwin. Um,

48:28and so to confirm here, you are moving

48:30the amendment that you had forwarded to

48:32the council uh about 10 minutes ago.

48:35>> Yes, and I'd appreciate a second from

48:37anyone who supports that.

48:38>> Okay. And to clarify here, the amendment

48:42is to add the two words city parks to

48:48the list of uh in between natural

48:51resources and open spaces. Is that

48:53correct?

48:54>> Correct.

48:54>> Okay. Is there a second to the motion

48:56made by councelor Lewin?

49:02>> I'll second.

49:03>> Okay. Thank you, councelor Barlo. Um, I

49:07think rather than asking if the

49:09amendment is friendly, I will open the

49:12floor to any uh questions or comments

49:15that folks have on the amendment,

49:17including would want to hear from city

49:19staff to the extent they have any

49:20concerns.

49:26>> Uh, yes, a comment on the motion. Uh, I

49:29think one, you know, definitely

49:31understood the intent, understand the

49:33intent of the motion. I think that um as

49:35stated in the memo and uh the parks were

49:38included in the planned growth areas to

49:42um as a piece of the neighborhood

49:44fabric. It's kind of the practice across

49:46not just the county but the state. Um

49:49and I think the I'm in my initial

49:52thoughts on on the motion. The only

49:55thing I could foresee this impacting

49:57would be just because the city does own

49:59this prop uh the city properties. Uh we

50:02have full control over those properties.

50:05There might be additional uh

50:08requirements then on the city to

50:11um apply for act 250 permits where where

50:14applicable. So um act 250 might then go

50:18on to apply to city parks if we wanted

50:21to make updates to community facilities.

50:24There might be some uh questions there,

50:27but that's the at this time the only

50:30comment I would have on that.

50:32>> Okay. Sorry, I just wanted to add

50:34clarity. Just so we're clear, I also

50:37understand the intent of the amendment.

50:39Um so just to reiterate, parks land is

50:43fully owned by the city and um has no

50:47impact. It this resolution does not

50:50impact the parks land. And just to

50:52reiterate um principal planner Morgan's

50:56point, if we wanted to adjust a building

51:00or put a gazebo up on a park's land, we

51:04would now have to do it in a different

51:06process if you add it to this. So the

51:09facilities that are on the parks lands

51:12would then we would have less control

51:14over. So I'm just throwing that out

51:16there. I think we could live either way.

51:19like I I'm not This is not a a hill. I'm

51:23gonna Yeah.

51:26>> Okay. Thank you. Uh are there any

51:29further comments or questions on it?

51:31Yes, Councelor Mcnite.

51:33>> Thank you. Um just to clarify and maybe

51:36um if city attorney Brown if you want to

51:38weigh in on this I think I would

51:40appreciate your response if you if you

51:43so um desire but this proposed amendment

51:47is in a whereas clause not in a resolved

51:50clause so I think it may carry different

51:53weight

51:55but I'm not sure. I just wanted to open

51:57that up as a question um for discussion

52:01because in general I I do support adding

52:04those two words. I think it's important

52:06for folks to have that clarity, but to

52:09your points, we don't want to

52:11unnecessarily complicate our lives down

52:13the road. So, thank you.

52:20>> Is that a question for the city

52:21attorney's office, Council Mcnite, or

52:24>> Yes. Okay. City Attorney Brown, I don't

52:27know if you have anything to add with

52:29respect to the proposed amendment here.

52:43So, I do appreciate um councelor

52:46Mcnite's point that this is the proposed

52:51amendment is an a whereas clause, not a

52:54resolved clause. And I guess the only

52:55other thing I'll add, so I do think that

52:58that makes a difference.

53:01And also I'll add that generally

53:03speaking, a resolution

53:06isn't a new law. Um and the statutes are

53:11going to be what governs. Um

53:15so

53:18to the

53:20extent that um

53:25by putting that language in this

53:27resolution, the statutes are then going

53:31to apply to

53:35parks.

53:37um

53:42I think is going to depend on

53:47what

53:49act 250 says, what the statutes say. Um,

53:52I'm also trying to

53:55squint and see if uh attorney

53:58Sturdivvent is on line because she will

54:02have worked on this

54:05um more directly than I have, but I

54:08don't see her. So, if you want to um go

54:11back to counselor questions and

54:13comments, I can see if we can get

54:15attorney

54:17online.

54:18>> Okay.

54:20Are there any other councilor questions

54:22or com? Yeah, councelor Newbieser.

54:24>> Um, well, I guess I Yeah, one appreciate

54:28the intent of it. Um, two, I think if

54:34what I'm hearing from folks, especially

54:35if it's in a whereas clause, if it is in

54:37fact, if we determine that there's sort

54:40of no material impact of the amendment,

54:43I'm happy to support it um because of

54:46the intent. I will say that

54:49springing as a general rule uh obscure

54:53amendments on city staff and the city

54:55attorney's office on the floor

54:58um is just something I think we've got

55:01to stop doing and um because it just

55:04puts us in weird positions like this now

55:05because what if we say yes to something

55:07with good intent and then find out later

55:10it is weird and messy from some legal

55:13legal ease. Um but absent that, uh I can

55:17support the amendment.

55:19>> Okay. Thank you, Councelor Newer. Before

55:21turning to you, Councelor Bergman, I

55:23will just note, uh just for the record

55:25here that um under rule 9, it does

55:29provide under our council rules that

55:30amendments to resolutions should be sent

55:32to the council clerk to be posted on the

55:34city council agenda in advance of the

55:35meeting. that every effort should be

55:37made to communicate amendments in

55:39advance out of respect for colleagues

55:40and the public and in keeping with rule

55:43one. Um, so I I appreciate your comments

55:46there, Councelor Newbies. I will also

55:48note that the rule does go on to say

55:49that this does not preclude the

55:50possibility of amending on the floor. So

55:53here we are. Uh, and Council Bergman,

55:56I'll turn to you.

55:57>> Thank you. Um,

55:59you know, there's a difference between

56:01being allowed to do something and it

56:03being a really good idea. And I don't

56:07know what the impact is. I appreciate

56:10what councelor Mcnite said about it

56:11being a whereas which may be just, you

56:15know, sort of advisory, but it may not.

56:18And it's really, I think, unfair for us

56:21to be asking the city attorney's office

56:23to be um pining on this on the fly,

56:27particularly if it was going to have a

56:29negative impact, and it may or may not.

56:32Um, and so I am

56:38I would love to be able, but I don't

56:40quite see how we could get to like table

56:43this and come back and then still move

56:45on, which also is problematic in terms

56:48of just the process for it. And I'm not

56:51thinking that we should be delaying

56:54until the end of October and would love

56:57to hear if that makes any sense at all.

57:00But absent making

57:03any sort of reasonable sense, um I think

57:07that

57:08regardless of the well of the intention,

57:11good or bad, that this is not the way we

57:14should proceed on that. And to the

57:16extent to which changes can happen in

57:18the future, it being an amendment, that

57:20would be the way to go. I would urge us

57:23actually given the timing of this um and

57:27all of the the complications to vote no.

57:30Thank you,

57:30>> council president.

57:32>> Yes, city. Yes. Sorry.

57:34>> Um

57:36sorry. Uh I appreciate that. Um, I will

57:40say that since this is a whereas clause,

57:43I do think that CEDO and the planning

57:45office um are happy to let this body

57:48obviously vote and see where that lands.

57:52Um, and I would just urge that we are

57:54not necessarily in a position to

57:56postpone until the end of October. So, I

57:59would urge that this body make a

58:00decision on the overall resolution

58:02today. Please.

58:04>> Thank you. Uh before turning back to

58:07councelor Litwin here, are there any

58:08counselors that have not been heard on

58:10this item that would like to?

58:13>> Yeah, councelor Barlo.

58:15>> Uh I just want to um agree with my

58:18colleagues who have expressed uh concern

58:20about having this sprung on the council

58:22tonight. I also I've seconded it so we

58:24can have this airing tonight, but I was

58:27unaware of this and I do not like to do

58:29our council business this way either.

58:31So, just to be on the record, I'll be

58:32supportive of this because I don't think

58:34it has any material impact and it is an

58:37uh it is an an interest that's really

58:40important to uh many of my constituents,

58:42but you know, I I also concur with

58:46everybody who's spoken about um being

58:49surprised by this. So, thank you.

58:52>> Okay. Thank you, Councelor Barlo. Uh any

58:54other counselors before I turn back to

58:56councelor Litwin?

58:59All right. Councelor Litwin, as the

59:01maker of the motion, happy to give you

59:02the last word on it and then we'll go to

59:04a vote on it.

59:05>> Thank you. Um and I want to express my

59:09apologies to my council colleagues for

59:13um springing this as it is. I I did not,

59:16as councelor Traverse knows, I did not

59:19intend to actually um attend the meeting

59:23tonight. However, when this came across

59:25and some initial conver some additional

59:28conversations occurred um I felt the

59:30need to attend um while I'm traveling.

59:33And so, you know, in the two and a half

59:36years that I've been on the council, I

59:38think I've only done this twice and one

59:40was a budgetary amendment. So, I I

59:43recognize the spot that this puts folks

59:46in. Um I appreciate the opportunity to

59:49have the conversation. Thank you,

59:50Councelor Barlo. Um, and I I do believe

59:54I expressed at, you know, some concerns

59:57in the last meeting that are in

59:59alignment um, with this motion. And I

1:00:02appreciate uh, Councelor Mcnite's

1:00:04comments about this being a whereas

1:00:06clause, which was also my intent and

1:00:08understanding here. The last thing I

1:00:10will say is to to councelor Carpenter

1:00:13and counselor Shaker's points that were

1:00:15made earlier, um, former counselor

1:00:19Sharon Busher Ackn shared a couple

1:00:23concerns and there were concerns that

1:00:25folks said, "Well, if this doesn't work

1:00:26out, you know, can you let us know?"

1:00:29Such as city staff's capability. That

1:00:32same thing can apply here. If we find

1:00:36that this is actually going to cause an

1:00:38issue, we can just as easily revisit

1:00:41this and amend it just as we would if

1:00:44city staff found that they don't have

1:00:45the capacity um to streamline this in

1:00:48this way. So, I would just leave us

1:00:50there with that thought and thank you

1:00:51everyone for your consideration.

1:00:55>> Great. Thank you. Thank you, Councelor

1:00:57Litwin. And yes, I I will acknowledge

1:00:58that you had let me know well in advance

1:01:00that you would be uh away this evening

1:01:03for personal reasons and certainly I

1:01:04appreciate and acknowledge how that

1:01:06could impact uh the ability to receive

1:01:09this in advance. Um with that, I think

1:01:12we will go to a vote. Again, the

1:01:14amendment is to Oh, excuse me, Councelor

1:01:17Grant.

1:01:18Yes. I just wanted to say quickly um

1:01:20this would not be something I would

1:01:22support. I just think it's important to

1:01:26abide by the recommendations of city

1:01:28staff who have been working on this.

1:01:29Thank you.

1:01:31>> Thank you, Councelor Grant. If there are

1:01:33no further comments on it, then we will

1:01:35go to a vote. Again, the proposed

1:01:37amendment is to line 18 and the whereas

1:01:40clause there, which currently reads in

1:01:42reference to the goal of conserving

1:01:44important natural resources and open

1:01:47spaces. The proposed amendment would

1:01:49change that to conserving important

1:01:51natural resources, city parks, and open

1:01:54spaces. And on that amendment, I'll ask

1:01:57that the clerk please call the role.

1:01:59>> Councelor Barlo,

1:02:00>> yes.

1:02:01>> Councelor Bergman,

1:02:02>> no.

1:02:04>> Councelor Brick,

1:02:05>> no.

1:02:07>> Councelor Carpenter,

1:02:09>> yes.

1:02:10>> Councelor Grant,

1:02:12>> no.

1:02:13>> Councelor Litwin,

1:02:15>> yes.

1:02:17Councelor Mcnite.

1:02:18>> Yes.

1:02:20>> Councelor Newzer.

1:02:24>> Yes.

1:02:26>> Councelor Sanchez Parkinson.

1:02:28>> Yes.

1:02:30>> Councelor Shakar.

1:02:31>> Yes.

1:02:32>> Councelor Singh.

1:02:34>> Yes.

1:02:35>> City Council President Travers.

1:02:37>> Yes.

1:02:42>> Nine eyes, three nays.

1:02:44>> Okay. Nine eyes's and three nazs. The

1:02:47motion to amend carries. So we are now

1:02:49back on the underlying resolution as

1:02:51amended. Is there any other counselor

1:02:53who wishes to speak on this item?

1:02:56>> Yes. Oh, sorry. Yes, councelor Sanchez

1:02:58Parkinson.

1:02:59>> Um I feel like we've taken a bit of your

1:03:01time now. So um I'll just put it out

1:03:03there and happy to continue the

1:03:05conversation later on. I just wanted to

1:03:08appreciate the planning team uh for how

1:03:10forward thinking you all are and really

1:03:13wanting to move things forward.

1:03:14Councelor Carpenter mentioned like this

1:03:16is something that should have been done

1:03:18uh a while ago and I'm getting up to

1:03:20speed on all of these. Uh so I really

1:03:22appreciate all the documentation that

1:03:24you've also captured. It helped me to

1:03:27look back and and really see um the

1:03:30history of this project and how far

1:03:32we've come to this decision. Um I did

1:03:35note um in some of the materials that

1:03:38this is a um has been sort of a

1:03:40collaboration across um different cities

1:03:43as well including South Burlington,

1:03:44Wooki, St. Elvin's um and I wonder if

1:03:48there was any um insights that you might

1:03:51offer in terms of where those other

1:03:53municipalities are in terms of how

1:03:55they're making some of their decisions.

1:03:59Uh yes, we are part or Charles and I are

1:04:02part of a work group for uh

1:04:04municipalities I think mainly within

1:04:06Chittening County who are exploring tier

1:04:081A uh trying to support one another and

1:04:11kind of assist one another while the

1:04:14land use board where the lurb is really

1:04:18trying to navigate the tier 1A

1:04:20application process as well. So it's

1:04:22really helpful for us to learn lessons

1:04:24from one another. I believe Rutland was

1:04:26the first to receive tier 1A status and

1:04:29South Burlington is currently um in the

1:04:32process. I believe that they had a um a

1:04:34meeting to review the pre-application

1:04:37today. Um one of there are a few lessons

1:04:39that we've gotten to learn from South

1:04:41Burlington being one of the larger

1:04:43municipalities going through this

1:04:45process. one of which is related to the

1:04:48rare threatened and endangered species

1:04:50and natural communities amendment and

1:04:53getting to learn from them and their

1:04:55coordination with ANR what some best

1:04:57practices are that we should incorporate

1:04:59into our ordinance and really just

1:05:01helping one another out. Um, it's also

1:05:03been really helpful to understand the

1:05:05level of scrutiny that the land use

1:05:07review board will have on our

1:05:08application and even during the

1:05:10pre-application process to best prepare

1:05:13ourselves for for going forward and

1:05:16knowing what to expect.

1:05:19>> Thank you. Any other counselor wish to

1:05:22be recognized on this item?

1:05:25>> All right. Uh, we will go to a vote then

1:05:29on the motion as amended. All in favor,

1:05:32please say I.

1:05:32>> I.

1:05:33>> I.

1:05:34>> Any opposed? That carries unanimously.

1:05:36So, thank you very much for your work on

1:05:38this. Sarah, I think you're probably

1:05:42getting Are you staying or Cara? I'm

1:05:44assuming you're staying. Okay. Okay. Uh,

1:05:48so we can let Sarah go. Thank you,

1:05:50Sarah, very much for being here. Um,

1:05:52that takes us to our next item, which is

1:05:55item 6.4. Uh this is not an action item

1:05:58but it's a presentation from uh CEDO as

1:06:01well as our colleagues from Burlington

1:06:03City Arts regarding downtown event and

1:06:06marketing and director Rawi uh happy to

1:06:09turn the floor to you and would welcome

1:06:11your introducing the other folks uh who

1:06:14are here with us.

1:06:15>> Sure. Um

1:06:17Director Craft had a um a personal um

1:06:22item tonight so she could not attend. uh

1:06:25she sends her regrets. Um but the team

1:06:28has been working really hard and

1:06:30collaborating um interdep departmentally

1:06:34uh and we wanted to give you an update

1:06:36on the plans we have the way in which we

1:06:40are marketing these plans um and the

1:06:45activations that we have in place this s

1:06:48winter uh and and the dark season after

1:06:52the holidays and uh and then we're happy

1:06:55to take questions. Um, as a reminder,

1:06:58uh, the Church Street Marketplace and

1:07:00the Love Burlington brand, um, which was

1:07:03born out of the CO area and is a small

1:07:06business support brand, um, is, uh,

1:07:10housed in Cedo and Burlington City Arts,

1:07:13I'm sure you're all very familiar with.

1:07:18>> Hi, my name is Elena Rosen. I'm the

1:07:20communications director at Burlington

1:07:22City Arts and I'm thrilled to be here to

1:07:24talk about winter in the city. Um, go to

1:07:28the first slide. Um, after our success

1:07:30with Summer in the City, we're really

1:07:32excited to move on to the next season.

1:07:35Uh, Winter in the City is a seasonlong

1:07:37celebration of all of the amazing

1:07:39community and arts events that make our

1:07:42city shine through some of the darkest

1:07:44months of the year. Um, it's a

1:07:47collaborative effort amongst all of our

1:07:49city departments that creates a

1:07:51centralized hub for not just city

1:07:53events, but also events from community

1:07:55partners and businesses.

1:07:57And this is really important in helping

1:08:00break down silos between city

1:08:01departments and with this city and our

1:08:04community. Um, it really helps create

1:08:06more synergy throughout the whole city

1:08:08and tell the story of Burlington as a

1:08:10place where something unique and

1:08:12exciting is happening almost every day.

1:08:18And so one of the ways we collaborate is

1:08:20on our marketing efforts. Um, we come

1:08:23together as uh city departments and um

1:08:27market on across all of our channels. um

1:08:30which really helps us exponentially

1:08:32increase our re our reach and the

1:08:34impressions we gather through winter in

1:08:36the city. A few of the key points of our

1:08:39marketing collaboration. We create a

1:08:41landing page on the love Burlington

1:08:43website and one of the key features of

1:08:46this is a calendar where anyone a

1:08:49business an organization even an

1:08:50individual can submit their event. And

1:08:53so everyone can really benefit from all

1:08:55of the marketing we do driving traffic

1:08:57to this web page. We also create a print

1:09:00booklet, uh, print is not dead, people

1:09:03love it. Um, that highlights all of the

1:09:06city programming that happens from

1:09:07November through March. And we

1:09:10distribute this at local businesses,

1:09:12libraries throughout the greater

1:09:13Burlington area, um, and anywhere we can

1:09:17get it out. We also collaborate on some

1:09:20key print deliverables and organic

1:09:23social media campaigns that do a monthly

1:09:26push for all of the events happening

1:09:27month by month. So we continue to

1:09:29highlight all of the great things

1:09:31happening from December through March.

1:09:34And each department on their own also

1:09:37deploys a really robust multi-channel

1:09:39marketing campaign for all of our

1:09:41individual events and series. So we're

1:09:44really you will be hearing about Winter

1:09:45in the City, don't worry.

1:09:48And now I'll hand it over to Zach and

1:09:50Sam who can tell you a little bit about

1:09:51what's happening.

1:09:55>> Hi, good evening. Uh my name is Samantha

1:09:57McGinness. I'm the director of the

1:09:58Church Street Marketplace and I also

1:10:00oversee the Love Burlington brand um for

1:10:04CEDO. I'm going to dive um right in. I

1:10:07know we're all trying to savor fall at

1:10:09the moment, but my team has been

1:10:10thinking about the holidays since about

1:10:12July. So, we're eager to get working on

1:10:15all of this programming. Uh we kick

1:10:17things off on the day after

1:10:18Thanksgiving, Friday, November 27th, um

1:10:21with our Santa parade at 12 noon on the

1:10:24marketplace. We have um BPD there and

1:10:28the fire department as well as a number

1:10:30of local mascots and organizations. Uh

1:10:32perhaps a bag piper will lead off the

1:10:34parade this year, which we're pretty

1:10:35excited about. Um and then of course um

1:10:38Santa joins us on the marketplace at the

1:10:40end of that parade. And then that

1:10:42evening we have our annual treelighting

1:10:44um ceremony on the top of Church Street.

1:10:46Uh Bag of Chips will be back, the

1:10:48performance group we've worked for with

1:10:50for over 20 years. Um we'll also have a

1:10:52Makea-Wish kid flip the switch at the

1:10:54end of that a night. We are still

1:10:56looking for a tree. I feel like I make

1:10:58this plea every year. If anyone sees a

1:11:0230 to 35 foot Colorado blue spruce tree,

1:11:05we are still looking. So feel free to

1:11:06reach out to me and we're happy to take

1:11:09a look at it. We remove the tree and

1:11:10stump for free. So, pretty exciting. Um,

1:11:14after um the tree lighting and the Santa

1:11:17parade, we move into our festive Fridays

1:11:19series. Um, so the next three Fridays

1:11:22encouraging folks to come down after

1:11:24work downtown and enjoy the lights, the

1:11:27holiday festivities, and of course

1:11:29hopefully dine and shop at all of our

1:11:31local businesses. The first Friday will

1:11:33be a cookie crawl. Um, so encouraging

1:11:35folks to bop into different businesses.

1:11:37We have 13 different businesses signed

1:11:39up so far for people to sample cookies

1:11:43um and enjoy downtown. The next Friday

1:11:45night is not so silent night. So, we'll

1:11:47be working with local choirs um middle

1:11:50school, high school choirs um as well as

1:11:52community groups like Lyric Theater and

1:11:54um the Burlington Choir to come and sing

1:11:56on the marketplace. And then the last

1:11:58Friday evening is light up the night. Um

1:12:01last year we launched a light parade.

1:12:03Um, so think the SD Ireland cement mixer

1:12:05covered in lights as well as other

1:12:07vehicles. That was a huge success. Um,

1:12:09so going to bring that back again this

1:12:10year. Then the last category of events

1:12:13on the marketplace um are familyfriendly

1:12:15programming. This is kind of our biggest

1:12:17category here. Um, we have our North

1:12:20Pole Express mailboxes. Um, so folks can

1:12:23drop letters off and um, they will get

1:12:25responded to if they have addresses on

1:12:27them. Uh, we have our snowflake hunt

1:12:30encouraging kiddos to visit different

1:12:32stores and find the snowflake. If you

1:12:34find the snowflake in each of the

1:12:35stores, you can redeem your card for a

1:12:38free ornament at Homeport. Santa visits

1:12:41happening um every weekend as well as a

1:12:43kids train on Sundays popping up on the

1:12:45marketplace. Uh we have an appreciation

1:12:47week for all the employees that work on

1:12:49the marketplace. Businesses offer

1:12:51discounts to those folks. We have a

1:12:53postcard club so you can send a note to

1:12:56anyone that is not downtown encouraging

1:12:58them to come and visit. Holiday window

1:13:01contest which this year is expanded to

1:13:03all of downtown. Um so not just the

1:13:05marketplace but all businesses

1:13:06throughout the downtown. We have the

1:13:08Manura lighting and a manora lighting

1:13:10ceremony happening on the marketplace.

1:13:12Um and then we have a Krampus walk and

1:13:14tuba Christmas as well. So lots of fun

1:13:17exciting stuff happening on the holidays

1:13:20um on the marketplace.

1:13:22I think it's over to you, Zach.

1:13:26>> Thank you, Sam. I'm uh Zach Williamson.

1:13:28I'm the festival and event director at

1:13:30Burlington City Arts. Um so I'm going to

1:13:32share some of our programming that also

1:13:34complements a lot of what Church is

1:13:35doing. Um this is we're we're launching

1:13:38Burlington Eliminated. Uh this is a

1:13:40second edition. Last year we called it

1:13:42Downtown Lights and we're expanding it

1:13:43to be more of a formal program this

1:13:45year. Um you'll might recognize that

1:13:47oblisk. That's the sculpture that was

1:13:48out in city [clears throat] hall park by

1:13:49Steven Rhodess last year. We're working

1:13:51with Stephen again to do some unique LED

1:13:53sculptures in city hall park. We'll also

1:13:55be returning the projections on the

1:13:57facade of city place um thanks to

1:13:59homeport for the floor space on their

1:14:01third floor that we can project out of.

1:14:03But Alex Reeves and Vanish works will be

1:14:04presenting Dwell Time which is an

1:14:06evolving uh evolving projection that

1:14:08starts with just a few films and goes on

1:14:10and on throughout both December and

1:14:12January uh to bring more and more

1:14:13artists into that that fold. And we have

1:14:15specific activations that go along with

1:14:17that um project as well. We also are

1:14:19doing two really exciting things in some

1:14:21currently vacant storefronts on Church

1:14:23Street. We're working with Pete Edwards

1:14:24and Corey Riddle, um two local artists

1:14:26who are going to be putting an

1:14:27interactive light display hopefully in a

1:14:30specific store where you'll be able to

1:14:31peer in and um control what they there's

1:14:34going to be an auditory element. So you

1:14:35as you make noise outside, the lights

1:14:37will change on the inside. It's a very

1:14:38cool idea. We're hoping to launch that

1:14:40in mid January. And then we're hoping to

1:14:42bring back a um element called Dancer in

1:14:44the Loop with artists Ben Dexter and

1:14:46Nathan Hicks. That's going to be an

1:14:48immersive interactive projection system

1:14:50in another vacant store uh opening on

1:14:52February 3rd, we hope. Um and will run

1:14:54for two weeks where people can come in

1:14:56and the video gets manipulated by

1:14:57people's movements. It's kids. We did

1:14:59this for highlight I think three years

1:15:00ago and people really love it. It's

1:15:02really great for kids as well. Um we're

1:15:04also going to be working with Burlington

1:15:05Electric and putting the lights back on

1:15:07College Street from uh Wooki A hopefully

1:15:09further down towards the waterfront. And

1:15:11then while we do lack enough electricity

1:15:13on Main Street to put lights on all

1:15:14those lamp posts or trees, we're looking

1:15:16at solar options to put short solar

1:15:18strands of lights on the new very young

1:15:20not very big uh trees on Main Street.

1:15:22But it should be pretty cool. Um uh what

1:15:25is next after that? That's back to you.

1:15:27>> Yeah.

1:15:28>> Uh the BTV Winter Market. So we will be

1:15:30bringing this back for our seventh

1:15:32season which is pretty exciting. This is

1:15:34a collaboration between the BCA and Love

1:15:36Burlington. We will have three dates of

1:15:38the winter market this year. They will

1:15:40be inside. We will have one date at

1:15:4240:05 um down on Pine Street and two

1:15:45days right here um December 11th and

1:15:4812th in Kis Auditorium. And we are

1:15:50working with um 73 different vendors

1:15:54throughout those three different

1:15:55markets.

1:15:58Uh this is a new program that um Love

1:16:01Burlington is launching this year

1:16:03inspired by um businesses in the past.

1:16:06It's called Love Burlington Get

1:16:07Rewarded. Uh, this is an incentive to

1:16:11shop local and support your neighbors

1:16:13and your community this holiday season.

1:16:15If you spend $50 or more at a Burlington

1:16:18business, you can take your receipt to

1:16:20get a reward from a different Burlington

1:16:22business. So, really trying to create a

1:16:24lot of cross promotion and cross

1:16:26traction between different businesses.

1:16:28This is open to all of Burlington. Um,

1:16:30so far we have 32 different businesses

1:16:32signed up to be a part of this program.

1:16:34So, should be a really exciting program

1:16:36for those that are choosing to shop

1:16:38local in Burlington this holiday season.

1:16:41Also, another marketing campaign that

1:16:44our team is working on um is the

1:16:46Burlington after 5 uh that we just

1:16:49launched uh recently, but this is

1:16:51encouraging folks to visit Burlington

1:16:53after 5:00 PM. So, the day isn't over.

1:16:55There's still a lot of Burlington to

1:16:57enjoy. We added a new feature on love

1:16:59burlington.org. Um, it's a toggle bar,

1:17:02so you can search like, "Hey, I'm coming

1:17:04downtown at 7 p.m. and I want to see

1:17:06what's open." It'll list all the shops

1:17:08and restaurants and activities that you

1:17:10can do after that time.

1:17:15>> Excellent. U moving a little bit past

1:17:16the holidays and into New Year's Eve.

1:17:18Um, we're thrilled to be bring back a

1:17:20slightly slim down version of Highlight.

1:17:22uh with some constraints in terms of

1:17:24budget and some other um selling tickets

1:17:26and all that goes into that. We're

1:17:28actually turning this into more of a

1:17:30community event in a lot of ways. We're

1:17:31focusing on helping other businesses and

1:17:34venues in Burlington produce their new

1:17:36their New Year's Eve events. So we our

1:17:38partners at like Vermont Comedy Club or

1:17:40Foam Brewery or Skinny Pancake. Um,

1:17:42we're working with them and also Echko

1:17:44to produce their own events, charge

1:17:46their own admission, and instead we will

1:17:47loop that all into what is Highlight and

1:17:49help market it and put it into one

1:17:51cohesive program that people can know

1:17:53what's going on New Year's Eve, know

1:17:54they can go out to what's available to

1:17:56them. Um, but as opposed to the city

1:17:58producing all these events, we're hoping

1:17:59that the community is going to be doing

1:18:01it. We are, however, doing some things

1:18:02um uh again, which are really important

1:18:05to what New Year's Eve is in Burlington

1:18:07for starting with first night and

1:18:08rolling right into highlight. Um, we

1:18:10will have three productions of Circus

1:18:12Murkus in this space. We're really

1:18:13excited to have them back. They've been

1:18:14doing New Year's Eve in Burlington for

1:18:16decades. Uh, and down in Waterfront

1:18:17Park, while we will not have a giant

1:18:19stage and a ticketed entrance, it's

1:18:21completely free. We still have Circue

1:18:23goes Champ that will get lit on fire

1:18:26right after the fireworks. So, we have

1:18:27fireworks at 8. Champ gets set on fire

1:18:29at about 8:15. We'll also have the

1:18:31fluffy bus there from about 2 o'clock

1:18:33on, some bonfires, and some lawn games.

1:18:35It'll be a really great day. hoping that

1:18:37it's um relatively warm. But um that is

1:18:39our plan for New Year's Eve. Um we'll

1:18:41also have some events at the BCA Center

1:18:42will be open for art making. Um and

1:18:44we're looking forward to publicizing

1:18:46what other people are doing as well. I

1:18:48think next uh we get to talk about the

1:18:51exhibitions in the gallery. Uh so we

1:18:53actually are opening a new show on

1:18:55October 16th uh that is called Dark

1:18:57Botanica on the first floor. It's going

1:18:58to be a really unique show um looking at

1:19:01the symbolism of flowers and plants.

1:19:02We're really excited to bring this um

1:19:04it's a multiartist uh production

1:19:06exhibition to the first floor at the BCA

1:19:08Center. And upstairs we'll have a cool

1:19:10um video um no sorry textiles and prints

1:19:13by Kathine Schneider um with an

1:19:15exhibition called Taken to Heart um

1:19:16which will be a great show and in the

1:19:18LBG room where you guys often go for

1:19:20meetings. You'll have some new art in

1:19:21there uh that is called forms of

1:19:22connection by Tristan Bates. Along with

1:19:24these pro exhibitions we have

1:19:26programming um as you can see on here

1:19:27that bring the public in in different

1:19:29ways including family art Saturday. um

1:19:31some very interesting paper flower

1:19:32making and um a panel discussion about

1:19:35the dark botanica show. Um after that

1:19:37show we open again on February 5th with

1:19:40some um unique um installations in the

1:19:42first floor. That's going to be our

1:19:43friends Alex Reeves at Vanish Works. Um

1:19:45he is uh curating a really cool video

1:19:48and audio installation on our first

1:19:50floor gallery called Transmutation. And

1:19:53up on the second floor um we have

1:19:55Artificialis by Lauren Graasso. This is

1:19:57actually a collaboration with Mass

1:19:58Mocha. um and it's an extension of a

1:20:00production they're doing there. And

1:20:02again, we have um amazing public

1:20:03programs including family art Saturdays

1:20:05and four unique pop-up events that will

1:20:07happen as part of the transmutation

1:20:09show.

1:20:11Uh our friends over at the Fletcher

1:20:12Fletcher Library of course are doing

1:20:14great work. Um they have a whole slate

1:20:16of things happening throughout the

1:20:17winter season, including the uh build it

1:20:20big puzzle palooa, New Year's Eve,

1:20:21winter bingo, and library mini golf. Um

1:20:24and uh you can stay tuned for more

1:20:26events happening over there. We're just

1:20:27moving along and we get to Art

1:20:29Amplified. Uh Art Amplified is a program

1:20:31we started uh over the summer. We did

1:20:33actually in collaboration with Pasa

1:20:34Giata. We opened our doors uh from 6:00

1:20:37to 9:00 I think during the summer. Um

1:20:39and we had music on the patio, a vibe

1:20:41maker in the front of the gallery.

1:20:42Really interesting lighting. Um and it's

1:20:44a just a really great great way to bring

1:20:46other people into the gallery space and

1:20:47make it welcoming to a different kind of

1:20:49evening audience. We're doing that in a

1:20:51winter version. Um this will be one

1:20:53Friday a month from um 5 to 7, although

1:20:55we might strip that to be 6:00 to 88

1:20:57based on a discussion today. Um but uh

1:20:59we are obviously not going to have an

1:21:00outside uh music component, but we will

1:21:02have a vibe maker, some really

1:21:03interesting electronic musicians that

1:21:05frankly we don't get to work with that

1:21:06often. Have this uh a really cool event

1:21:08that they can get to be part of. Um and

1:21:10we'll bring back some interesting

1:21:11lighting and some great food and drink

1:21:13as well. Uh so that happens on Fridays

1:21:15coming up throughout the winter. And

1:21:18then you're back to Winterfest. I know

1:21:20you're probably thinking and there's

1:21:21more there's more. Um so Winterfest um

1:21:25this is a new concept that um Zach and I

1:21:28have been spearheading. So BCA Love

1:21:30Burlington collab. Um this is focusing

1:21:32on kind of like the darkest coldest time

1:21:35of winter and trying to make something

1:21:37fun out of it. So looking at January

1:21:4029th through February 7th. So it's kind

1:21:42of anchored by two events, Groundhog

1:21:44Fest and the Penguin Plunge that are

1:21:46community events here happening in

1:21:48Burlington. and filling that week with

1:21:51lots of fun seasonal activities. Um

1:21:53hopefully there'll be some snow that we

1:21:55can use. Um music, DJs, popups, really

1:21:58making um this a really fun, exciting

1:22:01time when normally we all just don't

1:22:03want to leave our houses because it's

1:22:04cold and dark. Um so we're bringing in

1:22:07some community partners, looping in

1:22:08businesses, hotels, and kind of using

1:22:10these two um existing events as anchors

1:22:13to build out this fun Winterfest week.

1:22:18And then um we also have in February,

1:22:20which has become a big part, um of what

1:22:23I look forward to in the winter, um

1:22:24which is the month of love, um that Love

1:22:26Burlington does. So the BTV love notes

1:22:29um that you've probably seen in the

1:22:30past. Last year we had over 90

1:22:32businesses host notes in their windows

1:22:34and printed over 10,000 notes. So hoping

1:22:36to continue that and really flood

1:22:38Burlington with lots of love and pink

1:22:41notes for that month. Um, we are also

1:22:43launching a new BTV love market um, here

1:22:46in KTOist on Saturday, February 13th

1:22:49ahead of Valentine's Day. Um, we also

1:22:52have um, our heart hunt which is very

1:22:54similar to the snowflake hunt that I

1:22:56talked about earlier except you're

1:22:57looking for hearts this time and you get

1:22:59chocolate as a reward. Who doesn't love

1:23:01free chocolate? Um, and then we'll also

1:23:03have a light show with pink lights down

1:23:04at the frame and our heartto-he heart

1:23:06sculpture out on the marketplace.

1:23:09And then rounding out um the winter

1:23:12season on the Church Street Marketplace,

1:23:14we will bring be bringing back Maple

1:23:16Madness for its third year. Uh this year

1:23:19it will be on Saturday, March 20th.

1:23:21We've seen huge success with this event.

1:23:23People have really enjoyed it. Um last

1:23:25year we gave out over a thousand bingo

1:23:28boards for folks to try about 20

1:23:31different flavors of maple syrup from

1:23:32Runamuck Maple and we'll be hoping to

1:23:35bring that back and make it even better

1:23:37this year. Um so that is all for us on

1:23:42winter in the city.

1:23:47>> Great. Um staff are happy to take any

1:23:49questions you might have uh regarding

1:23:51our events and marketing. Otherwise we

1:23:53this was just anformational session so

1:23:56you knew what we were up to.

1:23:58>> Thank you very much for the offer for

1:24:00you to come this evening to present and

1:24:02for the great presentation. We'll open

1:24:04the floor to any questions or feedback

1:24:06from counselors. Councelor Shaker.

1:24:11>> Um, thank you, President Travers, and

1:24:13thank you all for being here. Um, I

1:24:15really love I mean, as chair of the

1:24:17parks, arts, and culture committee, it's

1:24:19one of my favorite things to focus on

1:24:21bringing positivity and joy and

1:24:23highlighting the vibrancy of our city.

1:24:25And it is so great to see everything

1:24:27planned for the winter. Um, and I

1:24:30acknowledge how hard you all are

1:24:32working. Um I know that it was another

1:24:34tight budget year and um to just see so

1:24:36much creativity and community

1:24:38collaboration and partnerships is really

1:24:40amazing. Um and so I thank you all so

1:24:43deeply um for this work. Um so mostly I

1:24:47just wanted to express gratitude. Um I

1:24:49did hear a lot of really great feedback

1:24:51about the summer in the city guides. So,

1:24:54I'm curious how we can help market and

1:24:57support and spread the word with

1:24:58constituents and try to get people to

1:25:01all of these amazing events at the

1:25:03darkest time of the year when this is

1:25:04already giving me some comfort as I have

1:25:06to get my heavier coat out this week.

1:25:08Um, that there's still some joy ahead.

1:25:12>> Yeah, maybe give us a We haven't gone to

1:25:14print yet. Um, we do find as Elena said,

1:25:18print is not dead. People really like

1:25:20that. Um, and we'll work with you to see

1:25:23the best ways to get it out. We do

1:25:25distribute it broadly obviously through

1:25:27all the businesses and the hotels. Um,

1:25:30but we can work with you if you'd like

1:25:31to distribute directly to constituents.

1:25:34>> That's great. Thank you. Um, and just my

1:25:37deepest gratitude again, um,

1:25:38acknowledging I'm thinking back to the

1:25:40budget conversations we had last spring

1:25:42and just knowing how hard it's been to

1:25:45to make sure that this work is is fully

1:25:47resourced. Um, but to know that yet

1:25:50we're still doing so much amazing work

1:25:51is just fantastic. So, thank you all so

1:25:53much.

1:25:54>> And while we did not have a marketing

1:25:56page, I will say there's there's social,

1:25:59paid social, radio, TV, and print.

1:26:05>> Great. Thank you, Councelor Shaker.

1:26:07We'll go to Councelor Mcnite.

1:26:11>> Thank you. Thank you all so much. It's

1:26:12so fun to w look at this whole sort of

1:26:15parade of events uh including one actual

1:26:18parade that you have um planned for the

1:26:21winter and I want to echo councelor

1:26:24Shakar's gratitude. Uh I am a heavy

1:26:27consumer of city events and so I feel

1:26:30like I follow all your work really

1:26:31closely and I'm always so impressed. Um,

1:26:35and

1:26:36yeah, I just wanted to reiterate, you

1:26:38know, I think a lot of us think

1:26:41we hear about the need for these events

1:26:44in terms of supporting the downtown

1:26:46economy, which I think is great and

1:26:48that's a central goal here. Um, but it's

1:26:51also so important for our community and

1:26:54for our mental health to give people

1:26:56some encouragement to get out and about.

1:26:59Um, and so I think that can just not be

1:27:01understated. I've spent a fair amount of

1:27:04time in the winter in places like

1:27:06Montreal and Boston. And I think what I

1:27:08see here is Burlington starting to get

1:27:11to that level and uh take some of those

1:27:16um techniques that other cold cities use

1:27:19to help people get out and about. So, I

1:27:21love seeing that. Um, I did have one

1:27:25just one I don't know if it's a

1:27:27suggestion, but one point for your

1:27:28consideration and sort of a question

1:27:30because you may have probably have

1:27:32already thought of this. One thing I

1:27:33always notice during winter events is

1:27:36that it makes it so much easier to be to

1:27:38get out and stay out if there is a

1:27:40source of warmth like a fire or warm

1:27:43drinks readily available. Just the hot

1:27:46chocolate, hot tea, whatever, cider. Um,

1:27:49and so I just was wondering if that's

1:27:51already planned to be incorporated or

1:27:53something we could encourage businesses

1:27:54to do. I I just think it's it's super

1:27:57helpful. Um, also as a mom of young

1:27:59kids, it it makes it, you know, a less

1:28:03whiny experience if everybody's really

1:28:05comfortable and cold and can can get

1:28:08away from the cold. So

1:28:09>> I think for adults, too. Um, yes, there

1:28:12are warm beverages planned for many, if

1:28:15not most of these events and we have

1:28:17worked closely with our very strict fire

1:28:20marshall and we do have gas fired fire

1:28:24pits that will be out on the street and

1:28:26in city hall park.

1:28:28>> Great. Well, thank you all so much.

1:28:30Really appreciate all the effort and

1:28:31creativity here.

1:28:34>> Thank you, Council Mcnite, Councelor

1:28:35Sanchez Parkinson.

1:28:37>> Thank you all. I really appreciate it.

1:28:39um sort of beginning to look ahead. Um I

1:28:44I feel like every time I get to share

1:28:46this idea, I'm just going to share it.

1:28:48Um so right now the Burlington uh

1:28:52official website is linked to the parks

1:28:55and wreck social media, which I love

1:28:57parks and wreck. Um, but I always

1:29:00wondered if having like Love Burlington

1:29:03linked would be better or if there would

1:29:06be like a, you know, you get half a year

1:29:09and half a year to sort of uplift

1:29:11everything that you all have going on.

1:29:13Um, so that continues to just be an idea

1:29:15uh for consideration.

1:29:17Um, I'm also using this opportunity to

1:29:20share I almost every week I get a

1:29:22message from a constituent that has this

1:29:25idea of having um an ice skating rink

1:29:28downtown. And so I this might already

1:29:31have passed in the happened in the past

1:29:33or you have history. So I'll just share

1:29:36that out there. I will share with you

1:29:38that we are working closely with a group

1:29:40of businesses and Main Street Landing um

1:29:44in an attempt to have an ice rink on the

1:29:47waterfront. There's a lot of cost, a lot

1:29:50of staffing involved and we're really

1:29:52trying to work out the details. So,

1:29:54there's no promises. That wasn't ready

1:29:56for prime time, but I did feel like

1:29:58jumping in to let you know that we are

1:30:00working on it, and I have confidence

1:30:02that if it's not ready right now, it

1:30:04will either be ready towards the end of

1:30:06winter or next fall. So, it is

1:30:09definitely something that's already in

1:30:12um a fundraising round right now. And

1:30:15we've ha uh not we they actually there's

1:30:18a group on the waterfront they call

1:30:19themselves waterfront awesome and they

1:30:22have raised $36,000 so far towards an

1:30:25ice rink and we are meeting with them

1:30:27and parks and wreck on a regular basis

1:30:29to try and figure this out.

1:30:31>> That's really great to hear. Um I know

1:30:34Battery Park sometimes has one as well.

1:30:37So I wonder if there's I don't know if

1:30:39there any it's usually kind of sad at

1:30:42Battery Park. So, if there's any uh

1:30:45programming, if you want to sort of

1:30:47think of Battery Park along the way as

1:30:49you're thinking, um I always enjoy that

1:30:52as well. Um and I think this is more so

1:30:56of a comment. I anytime that we think of

1:30:59creating spaces for joy and happiness

1:31:04for our city, I can't stop to think

1:31:06about um the brutal winters that we have

1:31:09and how tough that is for many of our,

1:31:13you know, residents and and folks who

1:31:15are on unhouse. And so, um, I I just

1:31:19sort of put that out there because I'm

1:31:20sure you all think about that as well as

1:31:22you're planning, um, and, you know, as

1:31:25both residents and visitors as we enjoy

1:31:28the festivities, um, how are we ensuring

1:31:32to engage, give back in some way to

1:31:34those who are also suffering during

1:31:36those times. Thank you all.

1:31:39>> Thank you, councelor. Uh, anyone else

1:31:42want to comment on this? Yes, councelor

1:31:43Grant.

1:31:45>> Thank you. And uh I also want to add my

1:31:48thanks for all the work uh that you've

1:31:51been putting in. So I've been sitting

1:31:52here and I've been going through Love

1:31:54Burlington and I've been going uh

1:31:56through the after five which I think is

1:31:59a really awesome idea. I am just

1:32:02concerned that some businesses are

1:32:04listed. So if I wanted to be eating out

1:32:06tonight on Monday, um Mondays and

1:32:09Tuesdays really hard to find uh places

1:32:12to eat. But we've got Mayday and we've

1:32:14got Ichiban and neither one of them come

1:32:17up. So I'm a little concerned that we're

1:32:19not fully covering all the businesses um

1:32:22that are in words uh two and three when

1:32:25we talk about Loving Burlington. You

1:32:27know, they're not directly

1:32:29um on Church Street, but there are other

1:32:32businesses that are listed that aren't

1:32:34on Church Street, but they're missing.

1:32:36And so if we could just review um and

1:32:39just make sure we're capturing um all

1:32:42the businesses in the district and even

1:32:44some other businesses that are outside

1:32:47of the district but that are open um

1:32:50after five especially uh places to eat

1:32:52as we get into the holiday season. And

1:32:55then the other thing um I wanted to

1:32:57bring up may not be something you can

1:32:59answer right now, but last year there

1:33:02were a few days as we got closer to

1:33:05Christmas where uh some businesses were

1:33:09open late, like they would be open to

1:33:118:00 p.m. And I was out like just maybe

1:33:15a couple of days before Christmas and I

1:33:17thought that this was a great idea.

1:33:20People definitely came into town for it.

1:33:24um businesses that were participating

1:33:26had lines. They had lines, but we had

1:33:29businesses that weren't participating.

1:33:32And I found that disappointing because

1:33:35people were noticing as they would go by

1:33:38some stores that were closed and then

1:33:40other stores that were open. um if we're

1:33:43going to have businesses doing something

1:33:45like that again this year, which I hope

1:33:47they do because there's always people

1:33:48shopping um at the last minute, that

1:33:52more businesses take part um into that

1:33:57because I think it would really benefit

1:33:58them because I when I went in and I was

1:34:00as a city councelor talking to the

1:34:03businesses and asking them how their

1:34:04holiday seasons were going, I got great

1:34:07feedback and it was from those

1:34:08businesses that were taking advantage of

1:34:11these um extra hours in in the final

1:34:14days. Thank you.

1:34:16>> Yeah, I'd like to address so Love

1:34:18Burlington specifically is a small

1:34:20business support was born out of the

1:34:22need for small business support citywide

1:34:24because previously the city had been

1:34:26very focused on the Church Street Tree

1:34:28Marketplace. So all businesses citywide

1:34:31are listed on there. The um the the

1:34:34hours the late hours we notify all

1:34:37businesses those are pulled from their

1:34:39Google listings. So, if the Google

1:34:42listings aren't properly updated,

1:34:44because we don't have staff to call and

1:34:47check everyone's hours and and whether

1:34:49they're changing for the holidays or

1:34:51whatever, but as we get closer to the

1:34:54holidays, we we resend out those blasts

1:34:57that say reminder, get your staff to

1:34:59update the Google calendar because we

1:35:02bought a feature for the Love Burlington

1:35:04website that pulls in from the Google

1:35:06calendar. So, I'll make sure a reminder

1:35:08goes out. I I appreciate that. Those

1:35:10later evenings are called Yeah, sorry.

1:35:13>> I'm sorry. Google calendar or Google

1:35:15listing.

1:35:16>> That That was the word. Google listing.

1:35:19>> Sorry.

1:35:20>> I have younger staff who know this

1:35:22better than me. Um those later evenings

1:35:24are festive Fridays. And um I'm hoping

1:35:28we get more buyin this year as well

1:35:30because of exactly what you said because

1:35:33the ones that did stay open. Some people

1:35:36did mention that staffing was an issue

1:35:37which can always be a problem and we

1:35:39can't force people to stay open. But um

1:35:42I'm hoping for more buyin as well. I and

1:35:44I think each year we do those festive

1:35:47Fridays and those later evenings and

1:35:48this new promotion with Burlington after

1:35:515 that businesses will start to see the

1:35:54benefit and the benefit of extending

1:35:56your hours. There's benefit in numbers.

1:35:58Obviously, it's the rising tide lifts

1:36:00all boats. Um so appreciate both those

1:36:02comments. Thanks.

1:36:05>> Thank you. All set, Council Grant.

1:36:08Uh yeah. If I reach out to the

1:36:10businesses that I notice are missing and

1:36:12I get written confirmation of their

1:36:13hours, would that be sufficient to have

1:36:15them add it?

1:36:17>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We ask all businesses

1:36:20to contact, you know. Yes. If we've

1:36:22missed one or if they have missed an

1:36:24email that somehow landed in their spam.

1:36:27Absolutely.

1:36:28>> Great. Thank you.

1:36:28>> Yeah.

1:36:29>> Thank you. Uh we'll go counselor

1:36:31Carpenter and then sing. Um, just a

1:36:34thought, and I don't run in these

1:36:36circles, but the school department does

1:36:38a great job on communications, and I

1:36:40wonder if there's not some way to tag on

1:36:43to some of their communications.

1:36:45School department. Yeah. I mean, I just

1:36:47look at the newsletter, they send out,

1:36:50their website, and maybe not everything,

1:36:52but um they have a wide audience.

1:36:55>> They do. The school is very uh controls

1:36:58what's allowed to go home with the

1:36:59students. So,

1:37:00>> understood. But we're generally we can

1:37:02try again, but we're we're generally not

1:37:04allowed to to put anything in their bags

1:37:07like that. Yeah.

1:37:08>> Well, and maybe working with the PTO's

1:37:09or

1:37:10>> Yeah, that's possible. Or bulletin

1:37:12boards might be possible. Yeah.

1:37:15>> Thank you, Council Carpenter. Councelor

1:37:17Singh. [clears throat]

1:37:18>> Thank you, Council President Travers.

1:37:20Thank you so much for this presentation.

1:37:22Uh I love seeing all the things going on

1:37:24in the winter. You know, working closely

1:37:27with the marketplace all the years. Um

1:37:29it's just great to see how much this has

1:37:30grown. I I just had two quick comments

1:37:33was um you know first you know a lot of

1:37:37in the past you know these uh events are

1:37:40very geared to residents and their kids

1:37:43because you know in the wintertime we

1:37:45don't necessarily have the the hotel um

1:37:47bookings that we normally do. Can you

1:37:50speak a little bit to the outreach to

1:37:52the ski areas and you know partnering

1:37:54with them? You know, I know a lot of

1:37:56them are owned by giant corporations now

1:37:58and it's it's much different than it was

1:38:00when I was there when we'd have a

1:38:01gondola on Church Street from Stow and

1:38:03things like that. Uh it just seems like

1:38:05that's where the visitors are in these

1:38:08months. And I I'm just trying to

1:38:11understand how we tap into that. Um you

1:38:13know, because our reliance on, you know,

1:38:15the outlying towns is less than it used

1:38:18to be.

1:38:22>> Oh, w Winterfest is your Yeah. Uh sorry.

1:38:25So I will say because most of the

1:38:27mountains just as you mentioned have

1:38:29switched to large corporate ownership we

1:38:32have really struggled to get an in with

1:38:35with those um

1:38:38uh establishments. Did you sorry did you

1:38:41want to

1:38:42>> I was just going to say in regards to

1:38:44the hotel rooms the we do hear from that

1:38:46from all of them that quarter one is

1:38:48like the bleakest time. Obviously, that

1:38:50is where we started to percolate ideas

1:38:52for things that happen in that kind of

1:38:53January to March time frame. So,

1:38:55Winterfest along with Groundhog Fest,

1:38:58those are all ideas that we're trying to

1:39:00build momentum where someone mentioned

1:39:02Montreal um where like good things

1:39:04happen in those months and we embrace

1:39:05the cold and we can do fun things. So,

1:39:07that is what we're working towards and

1:39:09we're hoping that we can generate some

1:39:10of that positive energy and and increase

1:39:13people's visitation to Burlington

1:39:15specifically during those times.

1:39:18Um, I will also just express limitations

1:39:21to our marketing budget. Um, and that we

1:39:24do we do feel that we have lost

1:39:27visitorship from the suburbs and that

1:39:30targeting through the bang newspaper

1:39:33like Shelurn News, Wilston Observer,

1:39:35those um, we're getting decent reach

1:39:39that way. I will say the Lake Champlain

1:39:41Chamber of Commerce through their Hello

1:39:43Burlington arm has we sort of have a

1:39:45division of labor and they have taken on

1:39:47a little bit more of the destination

1:39:49marketing which is going a little bit

1:39:52more pairing with the resorts and things

1:39:54of that sort. But your point is is valid

1:39:57and and heard.

1:40:00>> Yeah. Um I had another thought. Oh, as

1:40:02far as you know we have a limited

1:40:04budget. You know the airport is under

1:40:06the umbrella of the city. um you know pe

1:40:09many of our flights arrive at midnight

1:40:11and one and those people would stay in

1:40:14Burlington overnight. So I'm just

1:40:16wondering have we thought about you know

1:40:18partnering or how have we partnered with

1:40:20the airport?

1:40:21>> Yes, we do have often rotating ads at

1:40:24the airport. The airport also partners

1:40:27um with the chamber as well which we

1:40:30don't you know there's no competition

1:40:32with the chain birds. The more the

1:40:34marrier who are advertising and

1:40:36promoting Burlington. Sorry.

1:40:38>> Uh we also as part of our collaborative

1:40:41uh marketing efforts, we have a monthly

1:40:42citywide communications meeting. So the

1:40:45school is at those meetings, the airport

1:40:48is at those meetings. This is a great

1:40:49place where we can find those moments of

1:40:51synergy and connection. Um it's, you

1:40:54know, we do have rotating ads at the

1:40:56airport. Um but they will also often

1:40:58tell us when they have a gap in their ad

1:41:00schedule and will share ad space with

1:41:02us. Um, so those meetings are a really

1:41:04great point of just helping us find

1:41:06those places where we can all help each

1:41:07other.

1:41:09>> Yeah. And I'm just throwing out ideas

1:41:11now. So it's like you have the

1:41:12ambassadors at the airport that people

1:41:14are going to the car, they're going to

1:41:16the Uber. If we have them armed with a

1:41:19pamphlet that says, you know, this is

1:41:21Burlington, you know, this is winter in

1:41:23Burlington. Um, it just helps our reach

1:41:26with visitors and people like

1:41:32Thank you, councelor Singh. Is there any

1:41:33other counselor that wishes to be

1:41:35recognized?

1:41:39All right. Well, again, thank you for

1:41:41the great presentation and see you out

1:41:43there.

1:41:47Okay. Uh well,

1:41:51this is confusing, but it is 7:48 p.m.

1:41:54and uh we we may we may be done. Um

1:41:59because the next items on our agenda

1:42:01were items seven and 8, which we

1:42:03consolidated earlier in the meeting with

1:42:05item four. Uh the item after that is

1:42:08city council president council updates,

1:42:10which I am willing to forego this

1:42:12evening, which takes us to adjournment.

1:42:14But just to make sure we're airing on

1:42:16the side of caution here, is there a

1:42:17motion to adjurnn?

1:42:19>> Thank you, councelor Mcnite. Is there a

1:42:21second?

1:42:21>> Second.

1:42:22>> Thank you, councelor Singh. All in

1:42:24favor, please say I.

1:42:25>> I.

1:42:25>> I. Any opposed? That's unanimous. So, we

1:42:29are [music]

1:42:45>> [music]

1:42:49>> Hey,

1:42:54hey, hey. [music]