2026-10-26 - City Council

00:00All right, we will go ahead and call the

00:02city council to order. The time is 6:08

00:05p.m. The date is Monday, October 26 of

00:082026.

00:10Uh, I will ask if there is a motion to

00:12adopt our agenda.

00:15>> Thank you, Council Mcnite. Is there a

00:17second?

00:17>> Second.

00:18>> Thank you, Councelor Shakar. All in

00:20favor of that motion, please say I.

00:21>> I. I.

00:23>> Any opposed?

00:24>> That carries unanimously. Um,

00:28mayor, I will note that uh we had warned

00:31the board of civil authority for 6:10

00:34p.m. and then the local control

00:36commission for 6:15 p.m. Given the time,

00:38I think it may make sense for us to uh

00:42turn to Well, I I I leave it up to you.

00:44We could either turn to mayor general

00:45city affairs first or we could turn to

00:47the board of civil authority first.

00:49>> Uh well, I would love to do um mayor uh

00:52mayor general ferris first actually.

00:54>> Okay, great. So, um I think we will turn

00:56to you then, mayor, for mayor, general,

00:58city affairs. Uh then we will recess the

01:01council meeting and turn to the border

01:02civil authority and then local control

01:03commission and then I suspect it'll be

01:05time for public forum which is set for a

01:07time certain of 6:30 p.m. Thank you.

01:09>> Great. Thank you very much for that

01:10option. Good evening everyone and thank

01:13you for being here tonight whether in

01:15person or online tonight. A revised

01:18version of the Burlington Forward

01:19resolution is on the agenda.

01:21unfortunately retains the same

01:23fundamental problems as the original

01:25version from August. This is because the

01:27proposed strategies don't reflect

01:29evidence and best practices. They are

01:31naive as to the operational and legal

01:33realities. They don't reflect what is

01:36possible with finite finite city staff,

01:39money, and resources, and they conflict

01:42with the values that this city holds.

01:44Notably, Burlington Ford asserts that my

01:46community safety framework is

01:48ineffective. without offering data or

01:51evidence to support this claim. This is

01:54especially concerning given that

01:55Burlington Ford itself has developed

01:58with minimal engagement with our police

02:00and fire departments, specifically our

02:02chief of police and our chief of fire

02:04and the leadership of our municipal

02:06unions. This reflects partisanship, not

02:10collaboration.

02:11The proposed revisions we'll hear about

02:13tonight were were neither vetted nor

02:16voted on by council committees bypassing

02:18a transparent and democratic review

02:21process. I want to note I served a total

02:23of seven years as a Burlington city

02:25councelor and then a state

02:27representative. I have never seen a city

02:30council resolution or a legislative bill

02:32completely bypass the committee

02:34structure. specifically the process by

02:37which votes uh that which committees

02:39votes out uh different issues uh

02:41different issues delegated to them

02:43allowing the membership of those

02:45committees to determine what advances

02:47and what doesn't advance back to the

02:48full body that is the democratic

02:50process. Again, this reflects

02:52partisanship and not collaboration.

02:55The revisions were also not shared with

02:58my administration until less than a week

02:59ago as of today, leaving far too little

03:02time to assess their significant

03:04financial staffing and policy

03:06implications.

03:07For example, some provisions conflict

03:09with mandated labor practices within our

03:11current collective bargaining agreements

03:13or our personnel manual. Others explore

03:16legislative or legal challenges that

03:18have not been adequately vetted, and the

03:20overall cost may exceed what the city

03:23can actually afford. And let me be clear

03:26that I and my staff have repeatedly

03:28asked Democratic counselors for

03:29significant policy updates on the

03:31Burlington Ford resolution since it was

03:34first introduced in August and to no

03:36avail. Again, sadly, this reflects

03:39partisip and partisanship and not

03:41collaboration.

03:43My administration's community safety

03:45framework is comprehensive

03:47evidence-based strategy built on strong

03:49community partnerships, cross-dep

03:51departmental coordination, and a

03:53commitment to testing new and innovative

03:55approaches. This work reflects serious

03:57work by community partners, city

04:00departments, city employees, and many

04:02community members over the last two

04:04years. Much of this work was led by

04:07initially led by our former senior

04:09adviser on community safety who was a

04:11retired state police commander and

04:13statewide restorative justice expert to

04:16declare this work ineffective without

04:18evidence is at best disrespectful and at

04:21worst harmful to our city. Finding a

04:23unified way to solve very entrenched

04:26challenges. By contrast, Burlington

04:28Florida lacks the same depth and raises

04:31significantly unanswered questions about

04:33implementation, accountability, and

04:35effectiveness. Burlington's public

04:37safety challenges demand a serious

04:40coordinated strategy, not an

04:42underdeveloped alternative. Based on my

04:45initial review with my team, and as I

04:47let the community know on Friday, I have

04:49my top five primary concerns with

04:51Burlington Ford that I'd like to review

04:53with the community tonight. Section 4.03

04:563 continues to propose changes to the

04:58zoning rules regarding the overdose

05:00prevention site that I simply cannot

05:02support. While the resolution says

05:05evidence-based assessment should guide

05:07where we place the facility, it

05:08preemptively rules out certain areas of

05:10the city before those assessments can

05:12actually be made, areas that may in fact

05:15allow the facility to have the greatest

05:18public health impact and chances for

05:20success.

05:22The city has always approached

05:23implementation of the OPC through

05:25transparent deliberative deliberative

05:28process and this is what should guide

05:30how we determine the appropriate

05:31location not political considerations or

05:34topdown decisionmaking.

05:37The city's planning office staff and

05:39planning commission, excuse me, are

05:41already working on the zoning change

05:43needed for the OPC and will soon bring

05:45these recommendations to the city

05:47council. This established process for

05:50public review and input should be

05:52allowed to run its course without

05:54preemptive influence by the city

05:55council. Section 2.04 proposes public

06:00face response teams comprised of city

06:02employees that undermine labor and

06:04training standards. The proposed

06:07response teams are duplicative of

06:08current city efforts, difficult to

06:10implement, and likely cost far more than

06:13our municipal budget can support. The

06:16city already addresses public space

06:18response via our crossdevelopmental safe

06:20outdoor spaces team, which meets weekly

06:23and does significant work to manage

06:25encampments in our shared public spaces.

06:28This team includes city employees that

06:30have specialized training, professional

06:32experience, and established network of

06:34trusted relationships with local service

06:36providers that are essential to

06:38effective trauma-infor.

06:42This would be difficult to replicate

06:44through a VA volunteer force without

06:46comparable uh training continuity and

06:49coordination with service providers.

06:52Additionally, we simply cannot grant

06:53legal authority to city employees to

06:55enforce municipal ordinances because a

06:58robust state certification process is

07:00required alongside ordinance changes.

07:04Importantly, much of the work proposed

07:06by the public space response teams is

07:08currently being done by employees

07:10represented by our city unions and thus

07:13is governed by the rules and worker

07:15protections as outlined in our

07:17collective bargaining agreements.

07:19Burlington Ford has not been vetted by

07:21our city unions nor our human resources

07:23division and proposes reassignment of

07:26collective bargaining work in unilateral

07:28ways. This is greatly concerning because

07:30we just recently settled contracts in

07:33the last 6 to 12 months without raising

07:35any of these proposals at the bargaining

07:37table. Finally, given the city's budget

07:40wos, we don't have the resources to pay

07:42for additional training work and salary

07:45bumps needed to fairly compensate our

07:47employees for this additional public

07:49response work. Section 3.03 proposes

07:53creating sanctioned camping that our

07:55city cannot manage. It is understandable

07:58to want a want a fixed location to

08:00manage the high number of encampments we

08:02are seeing in our community. However,

08:04the city has already considered this at

08:06length and found no viable pathway

08:09forward. Our city attorney's office has

08:12already offered this opinion in an

08:13in-depth review of this issue to the

08:15council's public safety committee and

08:18the council's parks, arts, and culture

08:20committee. Sanctioned camping is

08:22essentially operating an outside low

08:24barrier shelter and it requires the city

08:27to take on significant liability and

08:29responsibility for the safety, health

08:32and well-being of these locations. The

08:34city of Burlington is not a social

08:37service provider. We do not have that

08:39expertise nor the staff and resources to

08:42do this, let alone do it well. Section

08:453.07 07 proposes the city should explore

08:48establishing a community stabilization

08:50and diversion center, but this is

08:53premature. The proposal needs much more

08:55in input from experienced service

08:57providers and law enforcement to know

08:59whether our small city could should even

09:02consider this idea in the first place.

09:04These types of diversion centers are

09:06complex and the cities that currently

09:08have them tend to be much larger and

09:11better resource than Burlington,

09:13including with larger service provider

09:15workforces. Our police department may

09:17not have the capacity to absorb the

09:19additional police responsibility that

09:21would require be required under state

09:24law if we were to set up such a center.

09:27There have been similar smaller programs

09:29across Vermont of Vermont funded by the

09:32state including one on Pine Street and

09:34it's unclear why these haven't evolved

09:36into larger stabilization and diversion

09:39centers. Additionally, it's not clear if

09:41there has been any consideration of

09:43community partners that are already

09:45implementing or exploring similar

09:48approaches.

09:49Before the city spends substantial time

09:51working with wi with with with the

09:53public safety committee to research this

09:55type of approach, we should first ensure

09:57that is the right idea for Burlington to

10:00consider

10:01in at least se two sections, section

10:032.09 and 3.04. The resolution calls for

10:07tracking and publishing data on our city

10:10dashboard uh public dashboard in ways

10:12that raise operational and ethical

10:14concerns. Any request for data tracking

10:17should be clearly supported with an

10:19articulated purpose and need, especially

10:21given the city's extremely limited staff

10:23capacity to undertake data analysis and

10:26reporting. The resolution does not

10:29articulate what the proposed data

10:30indicators are expected to achieve, nor

10:34does it engage with how much of our

10:35homelessness data is already tracked by

10:38community partners and the state of

10:40Vermont. Furthermore, the collection of

10:42data on vulnerable populations is

10:44governed by extensive ethical guidelines

10:46and be best practices for good reasons.

10:49Tracking data on unhoused individuals on

10:52a hyper local level creates privacy risk

10:55and can reinforce stigma and we need to

10:57be abundantly clear that the benefits to

10:59us as a city outweigh the potential

11:02harms. These are only some of the many

11:05concerns I have with the Burlington

11:06forward resolution. Councilors have had

11:09three months to examine the re

11:10resolution and committees and I am

11:12disappointed that this revised version

11:14does not better reflect the input and

11:16expertise of city staff and community

11:19partners. Again, this reflects

11:21partisanship, not true collaboration.

11:24Last Wednesday, after having this

11:26version of the resolution in hand for

11:28less than 48 hours, I offered to the

11:30sponsors a truly genuine offer to put

11:32this resolution aside and start a new as

11:35true collaborators. We can identify each

11:38caucus's priorities, fairly assess the

11:41effectiveness of the city's existing

11:43community safety strategies that are

11:45already underway, and bring this

11:47community a new proposal. I have yet to

11:50receive a clear answer back. My offer to

11:53this to take this different approach

11:55still stands tonight. We can do better,

11:58Burlington, and Burlington deserves

11:59better.

12:01I would like to move on now to the

12:03police chief appointment process. Local

12:06media reported on the chief of police

12:08candidate I am planning to advance for

12:10council approval. So I would like to

12:12speak briefly to that tonight. I am very

12:14pleased to appoint Chief Anthony Garachi

12:17as Burlington's next chief of police. He

12:19is an exceptional candidate with the

12:21experience, character, and values to

12:23meet our community safety challenges.

12:26And I am confident he will be a strong

12:28leader to bring the Burlington Police

12:29Department into its next chapter. My

12:32administration has been working to

12:34introduce Chief Garachi to the city

12:35councilors and to members of the police

12:37commission over the last few days and I

12:40look forward to introducing him to the

12:42community this week to learn more about

12:43his background and his skills he will

12:45offer our city. These introductions lead

12:48up to the November 9th city council

12:50meeting where I plan to put forward

12:52Chief Garach's appointment for

12:54confirmation by the city council. Chief

12:56Garachi brings 12 years of command level

12:59experience and a strong commitment to

13:01community centered policing. Spending

13:03much of his career in Albany, New York,

13:06he developed a neighborhood in CA uh a

13:08neighborhood engagement unit to build a

13:10community trust and implement crime

13:12reduction strategies that help reduce

13:14gun violence in that community or gun

13:16violence victims in that community by

13:1750% while also rebuilding a police

13:20department to full staffing. He also

13:23brings experience in implicit bias

13:24training, language access, community

13:27partnerships, and co-responder models

13:29alongside a demonstrated commitment to

13:32improving labor relations and officer

13:34morale. He completed and passed a

13:37comprehensive multi-week background

13:39investigation. He including reference

13:41checks and a polygraph test here in the

13:43state of Vermont. His references praise

13:46his integrity, professionalism,

13:48leadership, and ability to build trust,

13:50support staff, and foster effective

13:52relationships with the community he

13:54serves. As part of his deep background

13:57investigation, we dug into a prior

13:59workplace discrimination claim filed

14:01against him, which is investigated by a

14:03third party, and Chief Garachi was

14:05cleared of any wrongdoing. I also

14:08personally checked his references by

14:10including one of his supervisors where

14:12the complaint was actually filed.

14:14Everything came back and I am very

14:15confident in advancing his appointment

14:18as our next chief of police. Chief

14:20Garachi's appointment resulted from a

14:22year-long rigorous national search

14:24conducted in partnership with the

14:26International Association of Chiefs of

14:28Police, IAP, which is the world's

14:30largest and most influential

14:32professional association for police

14:34leaders. The candidate profile we used

14:36in recruiting efforts was informed by

14:38extensive community engagement that

14:40included site visits and meetings with

14:42key Burlington stakeholders, four f four

14:46focus groups with local organizations,

14:48and an online community survey that

14:50received 603 responses. The recruitment

14:53process resulted in 15 applications with

14:56four candidates advancing to the first

14:58interview stage. These interviews were

15:01conducted in the summer of 2026 by third

15:03a 13 member hiring committee

15:05representing city officials, law

15:07enforcement, labor organization,

15:09community leaders, city councilors, and

15:11local stakeholders. The top three

15:14candidates are invited to come to

15:16Burlington in person for two days of

15:18interviews, community meetings, a visit

15:20at the Burlington Police Department, and

15:22ride alongs. A time when Burlington is

15:24facing complex and multiaceted community

15:27safety challenges, Chief Garachi is a

15:30well- tested and experienced leader who

15:32is ready to serve our community. I plan

15:34to offer Chief Garachi for confirmation

15:36again, but to the city council on

15:38November 9th, and if confirmed, he will

15:40begin his service to the city of

15:42Burlington on November 10th.

15:45One last piece I want to update the

15:47community since the last council meeting

15:48is uh earlier this month I signed an

15:51executive order describing how the city

15:52of Burlington will implement Vermont's

15:54Act 150 which prohibits civil arrests

15:58including civil immigration arrests in

16:00sensitive locations such as schools,

16:03courts, hospitals, place of worship,

16:05public libraries, polling locations,

16:08shelters, so social service facilities

16:11and city and stateowned government

16:13buildings.

16:15I stood alongside community partners and

16:17advocates to announce the new executive

16:19order in the sanctuary at the first

16:21Unitarian Universalist Society of

16:22Burlington at the top of Church Street.

16:25The executive order instructs the city

16:26of Burlington to respond to a change in

16:29state law by reinforcing protections at

16:31sensitive locations per Vermont Act 150.

16:34It will update our policies, our

16:36signage, and employee training about

16:38these protections. and it will partner

16:41with legal service providers to offer

16:43training and support to those sensitive

16:45locations in Burlington. The executive

16:48order also clarifies that the Burlington

16:50Police Department will not respond to

16:52ICE enforcement at sensitive locations

16:54unless there is a reported public safety

16:57concern. If officers do respond, their

17:00role is very limited to maintaining

17:02public safety under existing department

17:04policy. I also want to make a note that

17:07we were notified at the end of last week

17:09that the Civil Rights Division of the US

17:11Department of Justice is sending

17:12election monitors to Burlington on

17:14November 3rd. Our city clerk is working

17:17closely with the Vermont Secretary of

17:19State's office to get more details on

17:21exactly what this will entail, including

17:23which city wards the election monitors

17:26will be observing. I really want to

17:28emphasize that election observers are a

17:30normal part of the American democratic

17:32process to help promote transparency and

17:34public confidence. Election monitors can

17:37include federal officials, political

17:39party representatives, and nonprofit

17:41volunteers. The US Justice Department

17:43has been deploying election monitors for

17:46decades. This year, it has been reported

17:48that the Justice Department will

17:49dispatch as many as a thousand election

17:52monitors in all 50 states. We therefore

17:55have no reason to believe Burlington is

17:56being singled out. Even so, I understand

17:59that this may sound concerning to folks.

18:01And I want to clarify what these

18:03election monitors can and cannot do. The

18:07primary purpose of the Justice

18:08Department election monitors is to

18:10observe elections and assess compliance

18:12with federal voting laws. Observe is the

18:15key word here, which is not the same as

18:17running an election um or running

18:19election, period. Our local election

18:21official officials remain responsible

18:23for administrating our elections,

18:25protecting our voters, and securing our

18:27ballots and voting equipment. Justice

18:30Department election monitors have no

18:32special federal statutory authority, and

18:34their rights are generally similar to

18:36those of the members of the public. They

18:38cannot enter restricted areas of polling

18:40places or election facilities. They

18:43cannot inspect voter equipment, handle

18:44ballots, or demand immediate access to

18:47election records. Our local election

18:49officials will oversee our elections to

18:51ensure they are their rules are

18:53followed. And the Vermont Bar

18:55Association is also sending independent

18:57legal observers to sites around the

18:59state, including our polling locations

19:01here in Burlington.

19:03Finally, I just want to um wrap up with

19:05two important uh events that happened

19:07this last weekend. Uh this past

19:09Saturday, I had the pleasure of speaking

19:10at the Flynn's Women Plus on the Edge of

19:13Democracy. I hope many of you attended

19:14this. I think it was a 12-hour marathon

19:18extravaganza. It was a fantastic event

19:20combining art and political action to

19:22reflect on this pivotal moment of

19:23democracy in America. The event was

19:26initiated and created by our Flynn

19:28Center for the Performing Arts in

19:30partnership with the Susan Smith

19:32Blackford Prize, who by the way is a

19:33Smith College graduate, for which I am

19:35as well. So, I was particularly proud

19:36about that. and it invited women plus

19:39playwrights, which means women,

19:40non-binary, and trans folks, to write

19:42plays to create a 10-minute play or

19:44monologue. On Saturday, again, there was

19:46a marathon world premiere of this

19:49initiative with all 34 commissioned acts

19:51taking place between 11:00 a.m. and 11

19:54p.m. that day. There's a great book that

19:56the Flynn has um published. We got a

19:58copy for city hall, and I encourage

19:59people to take a look. It was really

20:01quite inspiring uh to see the work of

20:03these playwrights. And finally, uh, this

20:06yesterday, I think it was yesterday, uh,

20:08was the 17th annual Hollywood Holly

20:11Hollywood Halloween roll and stroll

20:13organized by Local Motion, um, and, uh,

20:16Local Motion and, uh, Old Spokes Home.

20:19Dozen of a dozen of us put on costumes,

20:21rode bikes, and walked from city hall

20:23park around the city and eventually to

20:25the Old Spokes home in the Old North.

20:27This community event is not only a fun

20:29Halloween tradition, but it promotes

20:31safe and welcoming streets for everyone.

20:34This was an especially important year as

20:36we held a moment of silence at the event

20:38to honor the memory of Shiloh Scala, a

20:41Burlington teenager who tragically lost

20:43her life in July when she was struck by

20:45a car while riding her ebike. It was

20:47incredibly important to be in community.

20:49She loved riding her bike and she um

20:51loved uh the joy of what Burlington had

20:53to offer and I was proud to be part of

20:55that event and we as we continue to make

20:57sure Burlington streets are as safe as

20:59possible for everyone here. And so with

21:01that, thank you very much. I know that

21:03was a long one.

21:05>> Thank you, mayor. It is um 6:29 p.m.

21:08right now. We have two very brief

21:10meetings as the border civil authority

21:12and the local control commission, which

21:13we had warned for 6:10 and 6:15 p.m. And

21:16so before turning to public forum, we

21:18will uh briefly recess the city council

21:20meeting and turn now to the board of

21:22civil authority. And mayor, you are the

21:24chair of the board of civil authority.

21:26>> I am. Thank you, President Traverse. So,

21:28I'd like to call to order the Board of

21:29Civil Authority for the city of

21:30Burlington on Monday, October 26th,

21:332026, and it is 6:30 p.m. Our first item

21:36is the agenda. Is there a motion on the

21:38agenda?

21:39>> So,

21:40>> moved by Councelor Bergman, seconded by

21:41Councelor Travers. Thank you. Any

21:43discussion on the agenda before we vote?

21:45Seeing none, all in favor indicate by

21:47saying I. I.

21:48>> Any oppose? Nay. Motion carries

21:50unanimously. Our next item is the

21:52consent agenda. Is there a motion on the

21:54consent agenda?

21:56>> So moved. Moved by councelor Grant,

21:57seconded by councelor Mcnite. Was that

22:00you?

22:00>> Second.

22:01>> Okay. Seconded by councelor Mcnite.

22:02Thank you. Any discussion on this item

22:04before we vote?

22:06>> Seeing none, all in favor indicate by

22:07saying I. I.

22:08>> Any oppose? Nay. Motion carries

22:11unanimously. And with no further

22:12business, we adjourn at 6:31 and a half

22:15p.m. Thank you.

22:16>> Thank you, mayor. Uh we'll now call to

22:18order the local control commission

22:20meeting at that same time. And I would

22:22ask uh Commissioner Broadick as chair of

22:24our license committee for a motion on

22:26the agenda.

22:27>> Move to adopt the agenda.

22:28>> Thank you. Is there a second?

22:30>> Second.

22:30>> Thank you, Commissioner Grant. All in

22:32favor, please say I.

22:33>> I. Any opposed?

22:35>> That is unanimous. We have a consent

22:37agenda and one deliberative item.

22:39Commissioner Broadder, could I ask you

22:41for a motion on the consent agenda?

22:43>> Move to adopt the consent agenda and

22:44take the actions indicated.

22:46>> Thank you. Is there a second?

22:47>> Second.

22:48>> Thank you, Commissioner Grant. Any

22:50discussion?

22:52All in favor then please say I.

22:54>> I. Any opposed? That is unanimous. And

22:58then uh could I ask you Commissioner

22:59Broadick for a motion on the

23:00deliberative agenda?

23:02>> I move to approve the 2026 2027

23:05secondass liquor license application for

23:07Burlington Asian Market Vermont LLC 1

23:10Intervil Avenue with all standard

23:12conditions.

23:13>> Thank you. Is there a second to that

23:14motion?

23:15>> Second.

23:16>> Second by Commissioner Grant. Is there

23:18any discussion on the motion?

23:21All in favor, then please say I.

23:22>> I.

23:23>> I. Any opposed? That is unanimous.

23:26Seeing no other business before the

23:27local control commission. Absent

23:29objection, we will adjourn that meeting

23:30at 6:32 p.m. And now resume our regular

23:33city council meeting. Uh we will now

23:36turn to public forum and we'll go ahead

23:38and open public forum at 6:32 p.m. As is

23:42our practice, we'll begin. Yes,

23:44>> I wish to recuse myself from public

23:45forum.

23:46>> Okay. Thank you, Councelor Grant. Um, we

23:49will go ahead and open public forum now

23:51at 6:32 p.m. Uh, we will begin, as is

23:55our practice and rule, with Burlington

23:57residents who are here in person in City

23:59Hall. We will then turn to Burlington

24:00residents online. We'll then repeat that

24:02practice for any non- Burlington

24:04residents here in City Hall and any non-

24:06Burlington residents who are uh online.

24:09If you're here in person, when I call

24:11your name, please come here to the

24:12table. I'll call a couple people so you

24:14know who's coming up sort of second and

24:16third. After the first individual,

24:18please pull the microphone uh close to

24:20your mouth. Uh hit the push button and

24:22make sure the green light on the

24:23microphone is illuminated. If you're

24:26online, uh when we get to you, uh we

24:28will let you know once you're able to

24:29unmute yourself on Zoom. Uh we ask that

24:33folks please direct their comments to me

24:35as the chair and not to any other

24:37individual. We ask that folks please

24:39refrain from any individualized comments

24:42uh particularly those that in any way

24:43attack individuals based on any

24:45protected characteristics. We also ask

24:47that individuals please refrain from

24:49being unduly loud or disruptive or to

24:52otherwise use uh profanities or

24:54vulgarities. It's important that city

24:55hall remain a safe space for those who

24:57serve, those in attendance and those who

24:59are watching online. Um this has come up

25:02in a couple other meetings. We also ask

25:04that other members of the public who are

25:05not participating in public forum uh to

25:08please refrain from responding one way

25:10or another to folks when they're

25:11speaking. We want to ensure that folks

25:13uh are able to share their opinion one

25:15way or another and that we're able to

25:17get to the next speaker. And so we'll

25:19ask that folks please respond silently

25:21uh if they have feelings one way or

25:23another with respect to an individual's

25:24comments. Um, if I interrupt a speaker

25:28at any point in time, it will be to ask

25:30that they please proceed in accordance

25:31with these rules as I've described them.

25:33If a speaker continues to violate these

25:35rules, then we reserve the right to end

25:37public comment for that individual at

25:39that point in time. So, with that,

25:41again, we will begin with the first

25:43Burlington residents who signed up to

25:45speak and the first individual on that

25:46list is David Maher, who will be

25:48followed by Pat Rivers.

25:59Good evening. My name is Dave Maher. I

26:02live in the New North End and I've been

26:04talking for some time now about the new

26:07mayor of San Francisco, Daniel Lurri,

26:09and his success in addressing

26:11homelessness. But some sometimes get the

26:14feeling that people aren't paying

26:16attention and not doing any research.

26:20I've heard it said that he's simply

26:22driving the homeless into the

26:23surrounding areas. So, I did some

26:26research. Based on the point in time

26:28counts in 2024 and 2026,

26:32San Francisco, the city and county

26:34thereof, had a reduction in overall

26:37homeless count of 350 people. Alama

26:41County, which is to the east and

26:42includes Oakland, had a reduction of,249

26:47people. San Monteo County, which to the

26:50south, had an increase of 106 people,

26:53and Marin County to the north, had an

26:56increase of 38 people. So, in the

26:59surrounding areas, San Francisco and the

27:01surrounding areas, there's a total

27:03reduction between 2024 and 2026

27:07of 1455 people. So, it is not true that

27:12San Francisco simply drove its homeless

27:15out of town.

27:17So, what are Daniel Lur's policies?

27:20Supportive housing, not just housing,

27:23treatment before permanent housing,

27:26emphasizing treatment and recovery over

27:29harm reduction, and strict enforcement

27:32of the law. Daniel Lurray is very

27:35popular among Democrats, Republicans,

27:39and progressives. And if you do your

27:41research, I am sure you will support

27:43him, too. Thank you.

27:46Thank you. Our next speaker is Pat

27:49Rivers. Will be followed by Tammy

27:51Brownell.

27:54>> Thank you.

27:56Thank you all very much for your service

27:59and for your dedication and hard work

28:02with all these very complex and

28:04challenging uh situations that are going

28:06on in our city.

28:08I was uh sorry to see that Burlington

28:11was cited in the Atlantic as one of the

28:13cities that quote said yes to drugs.

28:18I would very much like to be part of a

28:20city that says no to drug use, to drug

28:25overdose, to drug dealing.

28:28any anything that I currently see going

28:31on in the streets, in the downtown, in

28:34the parks,

28:35I would like you to strenuously

28:38interrupt,

28:40to arrest,

28:42and to hold people accountable for this

28:45behavior. I would like to see it a

28:47priority. I would like to see clarity.

28:50This will not be tolerated.

28:55In my view, an overdose prevention site

28:58is part of saying yes to drugs. Yes,

29:02bring them here. Use them.

29:05It was very difficult for me to come to

29:07this conclusion, but that's where I

29:08stand.

29:11Please use that money

29:13to arrest and punish those who profit

29:17from death and destruction of our

29:20community and families.

29:22and use more of that money for treatment

29:26mandated if necessary so that people

29:28have a lifeline

29:31to relieve themselves of this terrible,

29:33terrible scourge. Thank you.

29:36>> Thank you. Our next speaker is Tammy

29:39Brownell who will be followed by Jack

29:41Evans.

29:44>> Hi there. Thanks, uh, City Council. And

29:46I want to say that uh I support um uh

29:51the Democrats uh uh proposal in all of

29:54this and I uh have been before you on

29:58more than one occasion. Uh I started

30:01three years ago trying to stress the

30:04fact that uh we need to distinguish

30:07between the homeless and the addicted

30:09homeless. Two very very needy

30:11demographics of people and we do need to

30:14help both of them. But the solution is

30:16not the same. Um, and I want to stress

30:20as someone uh actively a part of the

30:23recovery community here in Burlington

30:24for coming up on 18 years, there is a

30:28difference between punishment and

30:31consequences.

30:33consequences pave the road to someone's

30:36bottom moment of clarity or if you want

30:39to use the term readiness to be

30:42receptive to help and therefore take

30:45steps to recovery. I do not believe that

30:48a safe injection site is right for our

30:50community. A better use of those

30:52resources would be in the form of a safe

30:54withdrawal site. Um we had a place once

30:57in Burlington called act one and very

31:00very successful. I participated in

31:03meetings there and uh helped people to

31:06um you know further their their

31:08recovery. Um

31:13uh I'm sorry I lost my train of thought

31:15here. Um

31:17so it would be a better form uh a better

31:19form would be a safe withdrawal site and

31:22temporary recovery uh to give people a

31:25place to be

31:28um and begin recovery before moving to

31:30rehab. And the state has done a lot um

31:33in terms of working with Medicaid. Now

31:36rehabs now offer up to three months and

31:39in the recovery community a three month

31:41is a turning point in recovery. Medicaid

31:44will now pay up to three months whereas

31:46before Okay, I'm going to take one more

31:48second here. I just want to say this and

31:51I'm sorry, but I have listened to many

31:53people go beyond the time. Um,

31:55>> well, if you could just I'm sorry, we're

31:57we're going to keep everyone to two

31:58minutes. So, if you could just with one

32:00or two more sentences wrap up.

32:01>> The safe injection site. Um,

32:04if we are going to put it in, then I

32:07want to see city council and our mayor

32:09support our law enforcement and

32:12providing those needed consequences for

32:14people who are not using the safe

32:17injection site. Thank you.

32:18>> Thank you. Uh, and we will hold everyone

32:21equally to the two minutes. If you get

32:22there and have a sentence or two to wrap

32:24up, we will get there. Uh, our next

32:25speaker is Jack Evans who will be

32:27followed by Joanna Elliot.

32:28>> Please do the correct order of the

32:31signs, please. We are going through the

32:33forms in the order they were received.

32:35Our next speaker is Jack Evans. We be

32:37followed by Joanna Elliott.

32:39>> Good evening. My name is Jack Evans and

32:41I'm speaking on behalf of local motion.

32:43Uh we were humbled to see 150 of our

32:45neighbors come out on Sunday to honor

32:48Shiloh and to support safe streets. This

32:50year the Burlington Walk Bike Council,

32:52DPW, GMT, Local Motion, and many of our

32:54counselors hosted community walk forms

32:56across Burlington. And again and again,

32:58people told us traffic is too fast and

33:01too aggressive. That they don't feel

33:02safe taking trips walking, biking, and

33:05by transit that they would want to be

33:06able to. Feeling safe and feeling part

33:09of our community starts with a street

33:10outside of our front door. Whether we

33:12can stop and say hi to a neighbor,

33:14whether our kids can play outside, and

33:16whether we can get around safely. In the

33:19Plan BTV 2050 survey, half of

33:21respondents said that they want to be

33:23able to live car-free. But many simply

33:26don't feel they can. In too much of our

33:28city, the infrastructure isn't there,

33:30and walking or biking doesn't feel safe.

33:32The mobility framework in Plan BTV North

33:35End puts forward a vision changing that

33:38for a lot of our city. It lets residents

33:40choose how to get around based on their

33:42budget and their values, which usually

33:44align with the city's values of

33:46sustainability, community, and health.

33:49I've been to most of the the New North

33:51End community meetings, and I've watched

33:53hundreds of neighbors show up with

33:55different views and shape the the plans

33:58current form. Plan BTV New North End

34:00reflects all of those voices.

34:03Organized late opposition now threatens

34:06that work. And it risks it risks

34:08something bigger. With plan BTV 2050

34:11underway, people need to trust that when

34:13they choose to show up and participate,

34:15take an evening of their lives, that

34:17their input will count, that their voice

34:19is not less important than the voices

34:21that join in later and louder. We urge

34:24the council to respect the community

34:25built and positive vision for mobility

34:27and plan BTV New North End and adopt it

34:30as presented.

34:32>> Thank you.

34:33Next speaker is Joanna Elliot who will

34:35be followed by Ingred Dickerson.

34:47Good evening.

34:49It was recently stated by the planning

34:51department that greenspace had been

34:53removed from the plan BTV new north end

34:57development and they just reaffirmed

35:00this as recently and repeatedly at their

35:03most recent meeting. So I am confused

35:07about the plan as it still appears

35:09online. The New North End is not

35:13represented by a mayorally nominated

35:15commissioner on this group and we have

35:18had trouble trusting that the planning

35:20commission is hearing our voices. For

35:23example, the plan appears to still show

35:26a large swath of forest cut down Star

35:29Farm Road from the park to North Avenue,

35:33among other egregious choices.

35:37It appears that the small private Jewish

35:42cemetery at the end of North Avenue

35:46still remains a midlevel pink priority.

35:51Meaning that it remains

35:54under consideration for acquisition and

35:58development by the planning department.

36:02That is beyond either common sense or

36:05rational comprehension.

36:08I urge you to take even 10 minutes to

36:11read the finer points of this highly

36:13detailed document. And you may be

36:15alarmed by the hypocrisy of affirming

36:18that green spaces and parks will be

36:20removed for consideration while

36:22continuing to designate them as

36:24potential development. I also urge this

36:27commission to communicate directly with

36:29new north end residents through flyers

36:31or mailers. I was recently notified

36:34promptly that my polling location had

36:36changed with one tiny mailer and that is

36:38all it takes to notify our neighbors

36:40about the changes in their own

36:42neighborhood, but I have never received

36:44one. Although the city council hearings

36:46were pushed back to allow residents more

36:48time to be heard, I am aware of no

36:51additional outreach to inform our

36:54neighborhoods.

36:56>> Thank you. you could

36:57>> continuing this process without

36:59notifying the people that you most

37:01impact is very concerning and is the

37:04reason that the new north end

37:05neighborhood continues to not trust the

37:08planning commission and I ask you please

37:11to engage our neighbors and let them be

37:13heard.

37:14>> Thank you. Our next speaker is Ingred

37:17Dickerson who will be followed by Ashley

37:18Smith.

37:24>> Good evening. My name is Ingred

37:26Dickerson and I am a new Burlington

37:29resident. I'm here tonight to ask for a

37:32review of the study slashmeating room

37:35policy policy implement implemented or

37:39enforced at recently enforced at the

37:42Fletcher Free Library in August 2026.

37:46When the policy changed, I wrote the

37:49library commission and city officials

37:51because I was concerned about two

37:53specific provisions. number one,

37:56limiting patrons to one room reservation

37:58per week, and two, allowing

38:01interruptions during a reserved session.

38:05My concern is simple. Study/meing rooms

38:09exist because some activities require

38:12privacy, concentration, and a reliable

38:15workspace. That includes studying, job

38:18interviews, teleaalth appointments,

38:21remote work, and other activities that

38:23cannot easily be conducted in a shared

38:26public area, nor in uh one session for

38:31two hours once a week. After raising

38:34these concerns, I was asked for

38:36suggestions by assistant director Er

38:40Finley or Finny. In response, I proposed

38:44a weekly hour aotment system tied to the

38:47library card rather than one reservation

38:50per week limit. Such a system would

38:53still prevent monopolization of a room

38:56while providing greater flexibility for

38:59patrons uh and generating useful data

39:03for the library.

39:05To date, I have not received a response

39:08to that proposal by the assistant

39:10library dete uh director who requested

39:13it.

39:15I am asking for the commission and city

39:18leadership to provide transparency

39:20regarding the rationale for these policy

39:23changes slashreent enforcement. the

39:28so

39:30uh anyway I guess

39:33I am asking for the commission and city

39:35leadership to provide transparency

39:37regarding these policies and enforcement

39:41um and the supporting data and whether

39:45alternative approaches have been

39:47considered. Thank you for your time.

39:48>> Thank you. Our next speaker is Ashley

39:51Smith who will be followed by I just

39:53have the name Jack here.

39:56Hopefully Jack knows who they are. Okay,

40:01>> it is time. Is this on?

40:03>> It is not.

40:05>> Is it on now?

40:06>> It is.

40:06>> Great. It's time to scrap Burlington

40:09forward. It is a reactionary program of

40:12law and order that the Trump

40:14administration could have come up with.

40:16It will harm homeless people. It will

40:19harm the city's workers. It will harm

40:23black and brown people. We the people

40:26forced the Democrats to retreat from

40:29some of their most egregious and

40:31reactionary language and proposals in

40:34their resolution. But all the Democrats

40:38have done is cloak the same old law and

40:40order program in liberal rhetoric and

40:43surround it and connect it to vague

40:46promises.

40:47their backers. The bosses and businesses

40:51and landlords want to protect their

40:53corporations

40:55and punish our society's victims.

41:00They are calling for a kinder, gentler

41:03police state. They still call for more

41:07state and local cops to patrol the city.

41:10They still call for surveillance

41:12cameras. They still call for public

41:15safety teams. now with training to

41:18patrol the city. They still call for the

41:21eviction of the homeless encampments.

41:24They still call ominously for

41:26restrictions on the right to assemble

41:28and protest. They still call for a ban

41:32on the overdose prevention center from

41:34the downtown area, precisely where

41:36people need it. If the Democrats insist

41:39on voting through the Burlington

41:41backward resolution, the mayor should

41:44veto it.

41:46scrap this piece of law and order

41:48reaction. We should not have the do the

41:52Democratic party in this city channeling

41:54Donald Trump. Instead, let's start with

41:58an entirely different framework to

42:00address our real social crisis. One that

42:03puts people, especially the most

42:06oppressed, first time for real

42:08solutions. tax the rich, fund services,

42:12education, jobs, and social programs.

42:16It's time to put people, not cops,

42:19first.

42:20>> Thank you. Uh, our next speaker is Jack,

42:22who will be followed by Ambrose Moore.

42:34To Burlington's mayor and city

42:36councilors, we, the undersigned workers,

42:39issued this open letter to oppose the

42:41misnamed resolution Burlington Forward,

42:44currently under consideration in the

42:46Burlington City Council. It will not

42:48take the city forward, but backward.

42:51We are in the midst of a social crisis

42:52in Burlington, our state, and the entire

42:55country. Its causes are obvious. Jobs do

42:58not pay livable wages. Housing is

43:00unaffordable, and healthcare as well as

43:03social services are inadequate and

43:05inaccessible. The federal and state

43:07governments deep cuts to funding will

43:10only exacerbate this crisis.

43:12Backed by local millionaires and

43:14businesses, the Burlington Forward

43:16resolution unsurprisingly does not

43:18address any of its causes. Instead, it

43:21advocates spending money on failed law

43:23and order policies that will not make

43:24our social crisis or that will make our

43:27social crisis worse.

43:29It proposes that city It proposes that

43:33the city hire more police, arrest and

43:35jail more people, create volunteer

43:38public safety teams to issue citations,

43:41evict homeless from the encampments, and

43:43ban syringe services from the business

43:45district. These policies will waste

43:48money on policing and incarceration in

43:50an attempt to increase profits for

43:51businesses downtown. And all of this is

43:54happening while Howard Center and UVM

43:56Medical Center are cutting unionized

43:58jobs and critical services. On top of

44:01that, we face Medicaid cuts this January

44:03that will deprive 60,000 Vermoners of

44:06healthcare, making them prone to

44:08illnesses, homelessness, and addiction.

44:11The cuts also threaten threaten

44:13unionized institutions with yet more

44:16layoffs and speedups.

44:18The resolution's law and order response

44:20will not address these harms, but add to

44:22them by harassing, arresting, jailing,

44:25and evicting people. Already, the city

44:27has paid over 1.5 million since 2019 in

44:31cases of police discrimination and

44:33brutality, especially against black and

44:35brown people. Moreover, its call for

44:38workers to join volunteer patrols will

44:40put pressure and potentially undue

44:43burdens on an already thin and

44:44overstretched workforce that itself has

44:47been the object of austerity measures.

44:50>> Thank you.

44:50>> We call on the mayor and city council

44:53>> to vote down this resolution and pursue

44:55real solutions. These including taxing

44:58the rich to fund education pro programs

45:01for jobs, the living wage, livable

45:04wages, affordable housing, singlepayer

45:07health care, accessible syringe

45:09services, and counseling for drug

45:10addiction and social services for those

45:12with mental illnesses.

45:13>> Thank you. All right.

45:15>> Point of inquiry.

45:18>> Yeah.

45:18>> Thank you. I just wanted to confirm

45:21there's many folks reading tonight from

45:24scripts and I believe we'd be happy to

45:26receive

45:28any comments that go over in writing so

45:30that we can all review them. Is that

45:32still the case?

45:33>> Sure, that's fine. But if folks it

45:35doesn't m I mean I would prepare

45:37something in writing too if I came here.

45:39So if folks want to read that's fine. If

45:41they want to send it in writing that's

45:42fine. I understand that some readings

45:44may go beyond two minutes and if folks

45:45want to share something in writing they

45:46can always send it to us via email. So,

45:48thank you. Um, so our next speaker is

45:50Ambrose Moore who will be followed by uh

45:52I believe it is um Owen Sesser if that's

45:57correct. Okay.

45:59>> I'm Ambrose Moore, resident of Word

46:01AIDS. I do have concerns regarding

46:03Burlington Ford and its framing around

46:06how Trump's rhetoric has been getting

46:09popular. We see that with how San

46:13Francisco seems to be a policy that

46:15y'all are approaching with. Whenever

46:17that policy has restricted city funds to

46:20social services as well as banning

46:21social programs from the city and the

46:24reason San Francisco has seen such a

46:26dramatic decrease is actually that they

46:28changed the way they monitor the how to

46:31count the homeless people. uh they

46:33shifted the timing from which was

46:36initially an overnight schedule so

46:39people aren't moving around as much to

46:40daytime to from about 6 to 10 a.m. which

46:44of course you would find much less

46:46people. You also have issues with how

46:50the approach of services are.

46:55I remember March 11th all the counselors

46:58were made comments or almost all at

47:00least all almost all about how ICE

47:03terrorized our city even though it was

47:06in South Burlington. But the provisions

47:08given in the

47:10safety response team is very much like

47:13those provisions given to ICE agents.

47:15And that is another area of concern is

47:17this normalization of Trump's policies.

47:21And I would like to think that the

47:22council would oppose Trump, oppose

47:24what's happening on the federal

47:26government and the numerous attacks

47:27happening, but you are putting forth a

47:30narrative that Trump loves and actually

47:33endorses, which makes me question where

47:36you really lie with are you for the

47:38people or you for the billionaires.

47:41Thank you.

47:43>> Thank you. Uh our next speaker is Owen

47:46Sinesser. If I mispronounced that last

47:48name, please correct me. uh who will be

47:50followed by Vavon

47:51>> at Senac Counselor.

47:53>> Okay, thank you.

47:56>> Burlington forward

47:59has a good ring to it. The document

48:02itself, you know, reads well. It's

48:05formatted decently, has all the right

48:07aesthetics of being informative. It even

48:10takes the time to get ahead of the most

48:12obvious criticisms.

48:14It's a politician's document,

48:16you know, crafted with care. And 50

48:18years ago,

48:20maybe that meant something.

48:23But in 2026, with the elected official

48:26profession being so full of liars and

48:29lames, why would any member of the

48:31public take a politician at their word?

48:37In times such as these, trust

48:41can only ever be built on a foundation

48:43of their actions.

48:46what it is. Our leaders are willing to

48:48take off their gloves for, get their

48:51hands on, their clothes dirty, their

48:54eyes opened to the truest needs of their

48:57lowliest constituents. So why have I not

49:00seen one of these city council members

49:03alongside me on the food line?

49:07Because an action like that would show

49:10all of us the hurry and the hurt of your

49:13heart.

49:16and I find the time at the end of my

49:18long workday and I don't receive a

49:22single scent from the taxpayer.

49:26But now I hear that my actions could be

49:28labeled as an unpermitted social service

49:32activity.

49:34That certain members of my city council

49:37would rather hire a private army than

49:41say, I don't know, fund a food kitchen,

49:44create a closed closet,

49:47pitch a tent, fund a treatment center.

49:52So the weight of the words of these

49:54certain counselors and the honor in this

49:56resolution, it can be measured only by

50:00the weight of the 21 pages it takes to

50:03print the thing on. Burlington, this

50:06resolution is devoid of even a hint of

50:10moral constitution.

50:12Thank you very much you. Our next

50:16speaker is Vavon who will be followed by

50:18Paul Fleenstein.

50:21I will also note that we we have a form

50:23that has no name on it. Um

50:27I it has an address and a phone number

50:29on it. The last four numbers of the

50:30phone number are either 8203 or 8263. If

50:34this is someone's form, I don't want to

50:35say your address out loud, but if this

50:37is your form, if you could please fill

50:38out another form with your name.

50:40Otherwise, I don't know who to call up,

50:41but sorry Vana interrupt. Please go

50:43ahead.

50:43>> Is that number 30 by chance?

50:45>> It is. Is that you?

50:46>> No. Okay. I just I saw who it was, but I

50:48don't remember. Yes. Okay.

50:51>> Um

50:52Okay. The letter that was read by

50:54Comrade Jack earlier was signed on by a

50:57number of unions uh as well as um out of

51:00the 44 Church Street businesses that

51:01were open this weekend, 37 of them had a

51:03worker sign. The majority had every

51:06worker working that day wanting to sign.

51:08Some of the non-senees cited wanting to

51:09avoid retaliation from the city or

51:11landlords or for two immigrant workers,

51:13ICE because they collaborate with BPD.

51:16Um, so I guess to begin, um, if you're

51:18talking about whether businesses are

51:20feeling unsafe, um, I think it's

51:21important that the resolution says what

51:22it means, which is that business owners

51:24are feeling uncomfortable. Uh, it's a

51:26pretty big difference. uh the workers uh

51:29the unhoused and some of the criminals

51:30that are referred to criminals uh in the

51:33proposals all poor people uh which are

51:36the true majority of Burlington. We're a

51:38razor's edge from being right next to

51:40each other are struggling together and

51:43we feel less safe with every

51:44surveillance camera and every BPD

51:46officer you put on the street. The

51:47universal sentiment that I had when

51:49talking to workers was don't put words

51:51in our mouth. We want solutions like

51:52taxing second home ownership and holding

51:54the millionaires and billionaires

51:55accountable instead of turning church

51:56street workers and homeless people

51:58against each other. And whoever drafted

52:00this clearly listens to a handful of

52:01landlords, business owners, and rich

52:03white people, but doesn't care about

52:04hearing from Burlingtonians, which I

52:06think makes for a terrible mayor's

52:07candidate. That's what consequences

52:09mean, by the way. Consequences for those

52:11who have caused the problems we're

52:13facing, not who have committed petty

52:14crimes and survival crimes like breaking

52:16into a house for warmth. the landlords

52:19who are profiting off of people not

52:20being able to afford rent, the bosses

52:22and owners who squeeze workers dry, and

52:24Democrat politicians who have

52:25consistently bullworked the decisions of

52:27the billionaires and Trump's ruling

52:28class. To our current mayor, thank you

52:31for rejecting this blatant classism in

52:33advance and human rights abuses dressed

52:35in liberal frills. But there's no such

52:37thing as community- centered policing,

52:39only state violence that is designed to

52:41criminalize the poor. It is either

52:43racist violence or people power. And

52:45what I learned from talking to workers

52:46on Church Street this weekend is that

52:48the overwhelming majority of

52:49Burlingtononians and for that matter

52:51Vermonters believe it will be easier to

52:53change our system than wait for y'all to

52:54grow a conscience.

52:57Thank you. Next speaker is Paul

52:59Fleenstein to be followed by Nolan

53:01Rampy.

53:11I oppose the Burlington forward

53:12resolution. I think that the Burlington

53:15Union statement is excellent. It

53:18correctly identifies the harms of

53:21decades of austerity that have left many

53:24working people on the edge. Despite some

53:27changes in the language, as people have

53:30stated, the core of Burlington uh

53:33forward remains the same. More policing

53:36and surveillance. Importantly, the word

53:39accountability appears many times, but

53:41in an inverted way. The big social harms

53:44and crimes are invisible. There's no

53:46accountability for those. There are many

53:49national and local examples. Some local

53:51examples. What about the police who

53:54violate FIP, brutalize protectors, and

53:58aid ICE kidnapping? What about the

54:01health care executives at UVM Medical

54:03Center who paid themselves hundreds of

54:06millions of dollars of bonuses and were

54:09left with a crumbling health care

54:11system? What about the supporters of the

54:13F-35 basing, which required the raising

54:16of hundreds of affordable housing units

54:19and currently inflicts health damage on

54:22thousands of people from the extreme

54:24noise, not to mention the war crimes in

54:27Iran? What about a dashboard for these

54:30things?

54:32>> There's no accountability. There's no

54:34change

54:36for the supporters of Burlington

54:39uh for policing and surveillance. This

54:41will not positively affect harm, trauma,

54:44and violence. It can succeed in erasing

54:46people you don't want in your business

54:48district. I think for the council, it's

54:50the apartheid here that you support in

54:53Palestine.

54:54But for the rest of us, in an

54:56increasingly violent and authoritarian

55:00society, we have to prioritize defunding

55:03policing and refunding the things that

55:05we need.

55:09>> Thank you. Our next speaker is Nolan

55:11Rampy who will be followed by Antonio

55:13Golan.

55:17>> Thank you. My name is Nolan Rampy. Um, I

55:20am president of the union at Howard

55:23Center. And as someone who has dedicated

55:27their life to serving the most needy and

55:30vulnerable that we have in our

55:31community, I just want to say that I

55:33find Burlington Forward proposal to be

55:36absolutely shameful and completely

55:38inadequate on every level. And as others

55:43have stated, I will also say, you know,

55:45I can't help but notice that the call

55:48for more policing and surveillance and

55:51more punitive action. All of this is

55:53happening at precisely the time when

55:56Howard Center services and other social

55:58services are being gutted in Burlington,

56:02in Chittnik County, and around the

56:04state. I have lost track of the number

56:07of programs that have closed down for

56:10Howard Center over the last several

56:12years.

56:14And it's not an accident, I don't think,

56:18that

56:20the proposal here, as the mayor had

56:23mentioned, does not follow best

56:25practices for the treatment of drug

56:30users, of the homeless population.

56:33Everything here is based on punitive

56:36actions that

56:38are not meant to meet the needs of the

56:42people in this community and of our most

56:44vulnerable people. What this is designed

56:46to do is to sweep them under the rug.

56:49Right? It's designed to put them in

56:51jails, to put them in prisons. It's

56:53designed to push them out of the

56:55downtown area in order to make downtown

56:59as friendly for business as possible.

57:03and I find it shameful. And I just want

57:05to say that I want to thank the mayor

57:08for her statement at the beginning of

57:11city council coming out against this.

57:13And I sincerely hope that this fails and

57:17if it doesn't, I hope that she will veto

57:19it because this proposal has nothing to

57:22do with the values that Burlington

57:24should represent.

57:26>> Thank you. Our next speaker is Antonio

57:29Golan who will be followed by Fared.

57:34How you doing? Uh, I'm Antonio Golan, WI

57:363 resident. Uh, I also serve on the

57:39board of partisan film where I'm the

57:41secretary and I'm going to read a

57:42statement from the board.

57:45We at Partisan Film unequivocally oppose

57:48the Burlington forward resolution. Our

57:50position furthermore is rooted in both

57:52our values and our experiences operating

57:54a movie theater in downtown Burlington.

57:57In August 2024, Seven Days published an

58:00article in which Merril Jarvis III

58:01threatened to close the Roxy Cinema,

58:03claiming, among other things, that

58:05Burlington had become a quote zombie

58:08landqu.

58:09It didn't take long for Jarvis to make

58:11good on his threat, leaving Burlington

58:13without its only movie theater.

58:15In June 2025, less than a year later, 7

58:18Days ran a very different article

58:20announcing the creation of Partisan

58:21Film, coincidentally next to the Roxy.

58:25We the founding members of partisan film

58:27felt that our project which aimed at

58:28filling the void left by the Roxy's

58:30closing needed to be in be downtown in

58:33the city's cultural and civic hub. We

58:35knew then as we know now that downtown

58:38Burlington is not the dangerous

58:39hellscape that some business owners

58:41claim it to be. This is not to say that

58:44we don't face challenges like the Roxy

58:46partisan film is forced to compete on an

58:48uneven playing field with corporate

58:50streaming services in ways that are

58:51analogous to the challenges faced by

58:53many brickandmortar businesses from

58:55online commerce. We also face the

58:57challenges of our society's shift away

58:59from traditional forms of recreation

59:01such as moving going which are a

59:02decreasing part of our colle collective

59:04consumption habits. And while we don't

59:07claim to have found solutions to these

59:09challenges, we do emphatically reject

59:11cynical attempts like Burlington Forward

59:13to scapegoat scapegoat those suffering

59:15from homelessness and addiction.

59:17Policies like this won't make our city

59:19more economically prosperous, just more

59:21hostile to the most vulnerable. And

59:23this, to be clear, is not partisan

59:25film's vision for Burlington's downtown.

59:28As such, we call on the city council to

59:30vote against this proposal and in the

59:32event that it passes for the mayor to

59:33veto it. Thank you.

59:37Thank you. Uh our next speaker is Fared

59:39who will be followed by Pearl Benjamin.

59:47Um I understand that people want action

59:52to see action and there's pressure to do

59:54that uh about Burlington forward.

59:57Um, but we also heard from the mayor and

1:00:00other officials that the city doesn't

1:00:02really have the enough officers and or

1:00:06resources

1:00:07to do that. And so for the supporters uh

1:00:10of this resolution, I do I do have a

1:00:14suggestion. It's uh Rottland City Patrol

1:00:17look into it. Our neighbor to the south

1:00:20response to their homelessness crisis.

1:00:23has their residents organizing foot and

1:00:26vehicle patrols to go around and

1:00:28protecting businesses from shoplifterss.

1:00:31Uh they also find homeless encampment to

1:00:34break up um to to make sure there is no

1:00:36homeless people in the in the Rottland

1:00:39uh downtown area.

1:00:41So that's their response to the

1:00:43homelessness crisis and you all should

1:00:45look into it. Um in the meantime uh I I

1:00:49I'm a volunteer for the uh people's

1:00:51kitchen. We are doing Burlington's

1:00:54response to the homelessness crisis that

1:00:55we can do, which is try to take care of

1:00:58our unhoused neighbors and meet the

1:01:01needs that governments at every level

1:01:04have failed to actually provide. And I

1:01:07want to invite everybody to come to our

1:01:10uh people's potlock uh which is a group

1:01:13of uh Burlington Mutual Aid

1:01:15organizations. Um we uh we are at City

1:01:19Hall Park at 8:00 p.m. every Tuesdays.

1:01:21There will be food. There will be uh uh

1:01:25survival gears being donated. And if you

1:01:28have extra sleeping bags or uh blankets

1:01:32or warm clothes, bring them along. If

1:01:34you have food to share, we're you're

1:01:36more than welcome to do so. Uh but the

1:01:38most important thing is uh to keep the

1:01:41community that we have here and uh to

1:01:44talk to each other and hear each other's

1:01:47stories. Thank you very much.

1:01:49>> Thank you, Fared. Uh, our next speaker

1:01:52is Pearl Benjamin who will be followed

1:01:53by Lucy Gluck.

1:02:02Hello, my name is Pearl Benjamin. I'm a

1:02:05resident and farm worker here in

1:02:06Burlington. I'm here today because I'm

1:02:09extremely concerned by the proposed

1:02:11increase in police presence in the

1:02:13Burlington Forward resolution. The

1:02:15amended language of the resolution

1:02:18acknowledges systemic racism but

1:02:20disregards the fact that the police

1:02:21force is the epicenter of systemic

1:02:24racism. The Burlington Police Force

1:02:26itself is a known ICE collaborator. I

1:02:29was there on March 11th and watched

1:02:31officers throw my friends and neighbors

1:02:33onto the ground. I do not want that kind

1:02:37of violence to happen to my city's most

1:02:39vulnerable population.

1:02:42Using police violence against people in

1:02:43Burlington who can't afford rent is a

1:02:46senseless and hypocritical initiative

1:02:48that will increase distrust and

1:02:50resentment in our community and

1:02:52perpetrate systemic oppression and

1:02:54racism.

1:02:55Also, I just want to point out that

1:02:57Burlington residents aren't afraid of

1:02:58our homeless neighbors who are

1:03:00struggling with drug addiction. We're

1:03:02more concerned about landlords who

1:03:04squeeze us out of already dilapidated

1:03:06and unsafe housing situations without

1:03:08any kind of accountability.

1:03:13Thank you. Our next speaker is Lucy

1:03:16Gluck. Will be followed by Ed Baker.

1:03:22Good evening. Um Lucy Gluck living in

1:03:25the Old North End. Um before I retired,

1:03:28I was working with CS for a few years,

1:03:31uh helping folks who were homeless, um

1:03:34and helping them find housing, which was

1:03:36um very challenging and lots of

1:03:38multi-layered issues. I think everyone

1:03:40here knows that there's no quick and

1:03:42easy way to solve these problems when

1:03:45you've got um people that are living um

1:03:50either in a shelter or camping out

1:03:53having um a lot of medical issues,

1:03:55having a lot of mental health issues and

1:03:57addiction issues as well. Um, I'm

1:04:00opposed to this Burlington Forward

1:04:03proposal and appreciate the mayor's uh

1:04:06comments with all the the many reasons

1:04:08why I don't think this is going to help

1:04:10us and especially criminalizing people

1:04:12who are homeless. Just tell you a quick

1:04:14story of someone I worked with, a client

1:04:17who came to me and said, "I was having

1:04:20um major addiction issues and I couldn't

1:04:22find any way to get into treatment." And

1:04:24this person decided the only way to get

1:04:28help was to actually rob a bank and end

1:04:30up in jail. And that's what that person

1:04:32did. Um robbed a bank, got in jail, got

1:04:36treatment,

1:04:37got out, ended up um before they came to

1:04:40us at CS, ended up finding the only safe

1:04:43place that they could sleep was in a

1:04:46portal in Battery Park. um not a great

1:04:50place to sleep, but that was the only

1:04:51place they felt safe and finally came to

1:04:53us, got into the shelter, and I worked

1:04:55with them for a number of months and and

1:04:57helped them find housing, which um which

1:05:00they still have. So, that's a fairly

1:05:02extreme story, but people have um

1:05:06desires to to heal and to um get help,

1:05:10and it's really hard to find that help.

1:05:13Um, my biggest concern right now is I

1:05:16don't want to see our city council split

1:05:20the way that it is. The the the

1:05:23lack of communication and lack of

1:05:25collaboration is very upsetting to me

1:05:27and I wish that my biggest wish is you

1:05:29could pull together and and communicate

1:05:32better and and work as a team to to move

1:05:35forward. Thank you.

1:05:36>> Thank you.

1:05:37>> Next speaker is Ed Baker who will be

1:05:39followed by John Nelson.

1:05:52Well, okay. And thank you. Thank each

1:05:54one of you um for your life's work.

1:05:59On the way over, coming through City

1:06:02Hall Park, I asked myself, "Why are you

1:06:05going over there? You say the same thing

1:06:08every time. Everybody knows what you're

1:06:11going to say.

1:06:13Then I thought to myself, why don't I

1:06:16talk to a few people in the park and

1:06:18bring their message because they're not

1:06:21going to be there. So I'll tell you what

1:06:23one person said, and this is the God's

1:06:25honest truth. Christine,

1:06:28she said, "Tell them to come to the park

1:06:30and talk to us. Talk to me. talk to

1:06:34someone who's lost a member to overdose,

1:06:36who's overdosed, who's seen a friend die

1:06:38of overdose. And she said, and I'm not

1:06:41lying,

1:06:42tell them to open an overdose prevention

1:06:44center where people can get some help.

1:06:47And that's my my message, and it's

1:06:50always been my message, and I bring it

1:06:51with equal urgency tonight, as I always

1:06:54do. When a person goes to an overdose

1:06:57prevention center, they're saying,

1:06:59>> "Ed, I'm sorry, you turned off the mic

1:07:00accidentally.

1:07:04When a person goes to an overdose

1:07:07prevention center, they're saying, "I

1:07:09don't want to die. I don't want to take

1:07:12drugs outside. I don't want to discard

1:07:14my drug use materials outside. I want to

1:07:17be around someone who can talk to me. I

1:07:19don't want to be alone." The social

1:07:21autopsy in Vermont showed that the great

1:07:23majority of people who die of drug

1:07:26overdose die with no bystander.

1:07:29You know, just I'll tell you briefly

1:07:31because I have no time. In um Rhode

1:07:34Island, uh a press release was just

1:07:37issued. They've reached their 2030 goal

1:07:40for reducing overdose death in 2025.

1:07:44The governor

1:07:46um attributes that to harm reduction

1:07:49spending and on a long list of

1:07:51contributors the overdose prevention

1:07:54center where we renew in Providence.

1:07:58>> Thank you.

1:07:59>> You can keep going ahead if you want 10

1:08:01or 15 more seconds because we

1:08:02interrupted you with the microphone. I

1:08:04think I think for myself one of the

1:08:06things I've learned in life is is to

1:08:09admire people and admire their success

1:08:13and try to emulate their success if I

1:08:16can possibly do that. And I think we

1:08:19would do well to admire Rhode Island,

1:08:24look at their success, and try our best

1:08:26to emulate it here in Burlington.

1:08:30>> So, thank you.

1:08:30>> Thank you.

1:08:32Uh, our next speaker is John Nelson, who

1:08:34will be followed by Kathy Allwell.

1:08:44Is that good? Okay. Good evening. I just

1:08:47like to uh make a brief comment here. As

1:08:49a Burlington citizen, Burlington 4 is

1:08:52the coward's way out. So, it's no

1:08:54surprise to hear the way that uh those

1:08:56are pushing this through or trying to

1:08:57skirt the legislative and legal process

1:08:59to do it. Until we tackle the root

1:09:02causes of this problem, this will just

1:09:03be an infinite loop, a self-reinforcing

1:09:06cycle of militarization,

1:09:08force, and violence. In a few months or

1:09:10years, when it's clear that this foolhe

1:09:11hearty proposal hasn't solved the

1:09:13problem, there will be clamor for more

1:09:15police, more cameras, cries from the

1:09:18rich people on the hill and the business

1:09:19owners saying, "It'll work. We just

1:09:20haven't gone far enough yet." This is a

1:09:23solution that's counterproductive,

1:09:25costly, and will result in things that

1:09:27the vast majority of Burlingtononians

1:09:29and Vermonters will find distasteful and

1:09:32reprehensible.

1:09:34They're not looking for a solution as to

1:09:36why increasing numbers of our neighbors

1:09:38across the state are finding themselves

1:09:40struggling, destitute, and desperate.

1:09:43The solution they seek is just to not

1:09:44have to see the desperate, to be able to

1:09:46go shopping and pretend there's no

1:09:48problem to solve, that everything is

1:09:50fine. and they can return to their

1:09:51delusion of a perfect and picturesque

1:09:54city in a perfect and picturesque state.

1:09:57We must not indulge in this delusion.

1:09:59The people we see on the streets are

1:10:01people, human beings, our neighbors.

1:10:04These are not cockroaches that must be

1:10:06driven away or exterminated. They are

1:10:08people whose struggles are very

1:10:10relatable to the vast majority of us.

1:10:13Those of us who know that, but for the

1:10:16grace of God go I. Most of us are one

1:10:19stretch of bad luck away from sharing

1:10:20their circumstances.

1:10:22Burlington Forward seeks to make us

1:10:24treat our neighbors as less than people,

1:10:26as less than us. If we let them, this

1:10:28will be a mark on our soul. For in

1:10:30dehumanizing them, we dehumanize

1:10:32ourselves. That is my plea to you to

1:10:35recognize our common humanity.

1:10:38This is my promise. If you let this diet

1:10:40fascism proposal go forward, we the

1:10:43masses, the people who actually do work

1:10:45in this city, who don't live in ivory

1:10:48towers, will hold you accountable. We

1:10:51refuse to let this be a stain on our

1:10:54souls or blood on our hands.

1:10:55>> Thank you.

1:10:57Our next speaker is

1:11:00Kathy Well, who will be followed by Iris

1:11:02Johnson.

1:11:06Hi, I think most of you know me. I have

1:11:10worked in social work with middle school

1:11:13age and high school age kids for

1:11:16probably 30 years in this city. And the

1:11:20fact I've said this before, I feel like

1:11:23I'm talking to a wall for the majority

1:11:26of this board because I don't think

1:11:30there's one of you or maybe one of you

1:11:32who has worked in any kind of social

1:11:35service and I it really upsets me that

1:11:40you talk to no one, come up with this

1:11:42thing, spend three months on it, and

1:11:45come back with the same awful proposal.

1:11:50Do you not realize that this is so

1:11:54fascist it's not funny? I am 78 years

1:11:59old. I have lived in other countries and

1:12:03I have lived in this city for 34 years.

1:12:08I have never seen nor heard anyone

1:12:11propose something like this in those

1:12:14years that I've lived there. So, if you

1:12:17can't change your minds and bring this

1:12:20back and let everyone work on it, then

1:12:25please,

1:12:27please, Emma,

1:12:29veto this thing because I can't believe

1:12:33I moved here that that long ago coming

1:12:36here because it was one of the few

1:12:38cities in this country that I thought I

1:12:42could live after living in Europe for 15

1:12:45of 13 years. Thank you.

1:12:50>> Next speaker is Iris Johnson who will be

1:12:52followed by Chris McGrath.

1:12:57>> Hello, my name is Iris. I work in mental

1:13:00health. It does not come as a surprise

1:13:03that we are seeing more people on the

1:13:05street every day. And it is not

1:13:07coincidental that this is happening. As

1:13:10programs for mental health, addiction,

1:13:12homelessness have all been closing. And

1:13:15as our economic state has been

1:13:17worsening, the programs that provide the

1:13:20most effective interventions we can

1:13:22offer, especially housing need funding.

1:13:26It has become harder and harder to do

1:13:29the challenging work of actually

1:13:31supporting our community. To do this

1:13:34work well takes training and it takes

1:13:36building relationships that those who

1:13:38are struggling and it takes places for

1:13:41people to go who are trying to get off

1:13:44of the street. We do not have enough

1:13:46beds. We do not have enough rooms.

1:13:50Increased police presence does not do

1:13:52any of this. It does not fill in the

1:13:54gaps. It is not a responsible plan and

1:13:57it is not an effective plan. It is not

1:14:00very well thought out or collaborative.

1:14:02I do not support it. Thank you.

1:14:05>> Thank you. Our next speaker is Chris

1:14:08McGra McGrath. Will be followed by Milo

1:14:10Grant.

1:14:16>> City Council, Council President. On July

1:14:1824th, the Burlington Democratic Caucus

1:14:20announced Burlington Forward. On August

1:14:223rd, Burlington Forward was brought

1:14:24before this body for deliberation. There

1:14:26was significant backlash and public

1:14:28comment. At the time, I personally spoke

1:14:30out against it. When discussed during

1:14:32the deliberative session, Burlington

1:14:33Ford was was referred to four standing

1:14:35committees. I have attended every one of

1:14:37those committee meetings since then.

1:14:39CDNR, PAC, public safety, and REIB. Of

1:14:42those four, both CDNR and PAC were

1:14:44tasked with reviewing relatively narrow

1:14:46segments of Burlington Forward. Public

1:14:48safety performed a partial lineby-line

1:14:50review of sections two and three. REIB

1:14:52held multiple public feedback sessions

1:14:54and received substantive feedback in the

1:14:55form of detailed comments, annotations,

1:14:57and suggested structural changes to

1:14:59Burlington Forward from the city REI

1:15:01office, the Vermont Racial Justice

1:15:03Alliance, Street Cats, myself, and many

1:15:05others. By my own accounting, less than

1:15:07half of that feedback has been

1:15:09incorporated into the proposed revised

1:15:10version of Burlington Forward.

1:15:13I'm at a loss. Personally, I've spent

1:15:15over 100 hours between committee

1:15:17meetings, reading, rereading, and in

1:15:18comparing the July, September, and now

1:15:20October versions of Burlington Forward,

1:15:22and in reading, reviewing, and

1:15:23cross-referencing the substantive

1:15:25feedback from multiple advocates,

1:15:27organizations, and individuals. I've

1:15:29reviewed my own notes. I've had

1:15:30one-on-one conversations with folks on

1:15:32all sides of the issue. What I see is a

1:15:35lot of excellent and important feedback

1:15:38that has been ignored. I understand that

1:15:40not every good idea can be incorporated,

1:15:42but I am talking about feedback that

1:15:44would more than pay lip service to civil

1:15:46rights and equal protections. Feedback

1:15:48that would rededicate the city to the

1:15:502020 racial justice resolution. Feedback

1:15:52that would ensure we are protecting our

1:15:54most vulnerable, not surveilling,

1:15:56overpolicing, and demonizing them. To my

1:15:59mind, Burlington Forward still fails at

1:16:01its basic premise. It claims to be

1:16:04compassionate, but I see little

1:16:06sympathetic consciousness of others

1:16:07distress, nor any desire to alleviate

1:16:10the root causes of their distress. The

1:16:12framework this resolution seeks to adopt

1:16:14remains structurally unsound, equivalent

1:16:17to wallpapering over a rusted through

1:16:19steel beam. It might look a little

1:16:21better, but the building remains in

1:16:23danger of collapse. I urge you to fix

1:16:25it. In failing that, mayor, I urge you

1:16:27to veto it. Thank you very much. Our

1:16:30next speaker is Milo Grant who will be

1:16:32followed by David Gettys.

1:16:38>> Hi, my name is Milo Grant. I represent

1:16:40WS two and three on the city council and

1:16:43I am here today to talk about politics.

1:16:47Um, as someone just mentioned, we have a

1:16:50division on our council and our city

1:16:53that is widening and uh being made worse

1:16:57by this proposal.

1:17:00I want everyone to think about how we

1:17:02first learned about this. This was not a

1:17:04proposal that came through committees.

1:17:07It was not a proposal that was

1:17:09introduced at city council. This was

1:17:12something that we all heard about first

1:17:15from a press conference.

1:17:20That's political.

1:17:23That's political. a direct avoidance of

1:17:28collaboration and engagement from people

1:17:30with lived experience.

1:17:33No collaboration or engagement with

1:17:35people who work with mutual aid

1:17:37organizations.

1:17:38No collaboration or engagement for

1:17:41people who work with social service

1:17:43agencies. No collaboration or engagement

1:17:46from city employees on the front line

1:17:48and their department heads. No

1:17:50collaboration or engagement with fellow

1:17:53counselors and certainly no

1:17:55collaboration or engagement with the

1:17:57mayor of our city seemed to be an

1:18:00attention of directly sabotaging the

1:18:02mayor's work that has been ongoing. The

1:18:05idea that there needed to be a sense of

1:18:07urgency. Well, there's urgency if you're

1:18:09living in the streets dealing with these

1:18:11issues personally. There's urgency if

1:18:14you're in a mutual aid group trying to

1:18:15help individuals. There's urgency if

1:18:17you're in any one of these social

1:18:18service agencies, certainly with our

1:18:21police and fire departments, and

1:18:22certainly with all our other employees

1:18:24that are on the front lines. There are

1:18:27urgency. So why all of a sudden are you

1:18:29now saying there needs to be a sense of

1:18:30urgency? Have you not been paying

1:18:33attention? Thank you.

1:18:36>> Next speaker is next.

1:18:42Sure.

1:18:47I mean, I think that that's an

1:18:48expectation that we ask of all

1:18:49counselors. I I I will admit that every

1:18:52now and again I am looking at my phone

1:18:53or computer related to running the

1:18:55meeting, but I am trying to pay

1:18:58attention as much as I can here and

1:19:00would encourage all counselors to pay

1:19:02attention to the speakers when they're

1:19:03here. So, thank you. Uh, our next

1:19:05speaker is David Gettys, who will be

1:19:07followed by Tristan Addi.

1:19:09>> Good evening, councilors. I'm here

1:19:11tonight to express my support for the

1:19:13Burlington forward resolution. I care

1:19:16deeply about Burlington. I'm a resident

1:19:18of Ward 5. Burlington is a wonderful

1:19:21city, but we're facing serious

1:19:22challenges we cannot afford to ignore.

1:19:25It saddens me that Burlington, Vermont,

1:19:27and Portland, Oregon, two lovely cities

1:19:29are used as reference points for drug

1:19:32abuse and homelessness. Drug use,

1:19:34homelessness, and disorder are affecting

1:19:36our downtown and public spaces. And they

1:19:39affect all of us, residents, businesses

1:19:42that provide jobs that pay taxes,

1:19:44visitors who spend money here, and

1:19:46especially people struggling with

1:19:48addiction or mental illness themselves.

1:19:51We should reject the false choice

1:19:53between compassion and accountability.

1:19:56Burlington needs both. We must continue

1:19:59to provide meaningful services and

1:20:01pathways to help. But compassionate

1:20:03compassion also means maintaining a

1:20:05safe, welcoming community for everyone.

1:20:09No one should feel unsafe walking

1:20:10downtown, visiting a park, shopping, or

1:20:13bringing their family into the city. Our

1:20:15public spaces belong to all of us.

1:20:18That's why I support Burlington Forward.

1:20:22It's not perfect, but it offers a

1:20:24broader framework for addressing these

1:20:26problems with clearer priorities,

1:20:28stronger accountability, and measurable

1:20:30results. We may disagree about specific

1:20:33details, but those disagreements deserve

1:20:36serious discussion, but they should not

1:20:38become an excuse for continued inaction.

1:20:42I urge the council and the mayor to work

1:20:44together, recognize the urgency of this

1:20:46moment, and pursue practical solutions

1:20:49that restore safety, dignity, and

1:20:51confidence in our city. Burlington

1:20:54Burlington can be compassionate without

1:20:57being permissive and safe without

1:20:59abandoning people in need. We do not

1:21:02have to choose between caring for our

1:21:04neighbors and protecting the community.

1:21:06Let's choose both and move Burlington

1:21:08forward. Thank you.

1:21:10Thank you. Our next speaker is Tristan

1:21:13Addie, who will be followed by Kelsey

1:21:15Adams.

1:21:20>> Hi there. My name is Tristan Ady. I'm a

1:21:22nurse practitioner um of 16 years, most

1:21:25of which I've spent in primary care

1:21:27serving people here and in Franklin

1:21:29County. I'm a Burlington resident and

1:21:31I'm also a member of the board of UVM

1:21:33staff united um which represents 1,200

1:21:36clerical specialized technical research

1:21:38and professional staff at UVM. We

1:21:41recently held a robust discussion of our

1:21:43board u made up of elected area stewards

1:21:46and other full-time staff who occupy

1:21:48leadership positions in the union in

1:21:50order to consider the basics of the

1:21:52Burlington forward res uh forward

1:21:54resolution held up against the crises

1:21:56our city is facing and the

1:21:58disproportionate funds our society

1:22:00spends on law enforcement and

1:22:02incarceration versus health care,

1:22:04substance abuse treatment, housing, and

1:22:06more. This discussion led us to vote

1:22:08overwhelmingly 15 uh in favor, zero

1:22:12against and one abstension to join other

1:22:14area unions in opposing Burlington

1:22:16forward in the statement that you heard

1:22:18read earlier in the form of a letter by

1:22:20I believe it was Jack. We recognize as

1:22:23workers at UVM and as members of this

1:22:25community that our neighbors are hurting

1:22:27for all the reasons that people have

1:22:29spoken about. the crisis of affordable

1:22:31housing, low wages, too few jobs, health

1:22:34care that is prohibitively expensive,

1:22:36the scarcity of substance abuse

1:22:38treatment, and so much more. We

1:22:40recognize that these issues will only

1:22:42grow worse when Trump's Medicaid's cut

1:22:44hit us and 60,000 of our of our

1:22:47neighbors are thrown off of Medicaid.

1:22:49But for Burlington forward

1:22:52offers false solutions to these crises

1:22:55based on outdated strategies of beefing

1:22:57beefing up our police force, punishing

1:22:59more low low-level offenders with jail

1:23:01time and providing insufficient details

1:23:04about how we'll solve the material roots

1:23:06of these crises. There is abundance

1:23:09abundant evidence as people have spoken

1:23:10to based on years of data and projects

1:23:13attempted in city after city that

1:23:15demonstrate that mechanisms of

1:23:16punishment will never reduce crime or

1:23:19make people truly feel safer. As people

1:23:22have mentioned, these mechanisms of

1:23:24punishment always affect those already

1:23:26victimized in our society. As a union

1:23:28representing 1,200 local workers, we

1:23:31encourage you to vote no on this uh

1:23:33resolution.

1:23:34>> Thank you. Our next speaker is Kelsey

1:23:37Adams who will be followed by Nathaniel

1:23:39Madison.

1:23:43>> Hi, I'm Kelsey Adams from W 3. I work

1:23:46with the people's kitchen and I'm a

1:23:47co-founder of Food for All. Appeals to

1:23:49Empathy didn't do anything last time, so

1:23:51I'm going to try something a little

1:23:52different. Burlington Forward is only

1:23:54going to create more barriers to getting

1:23:56people housed. I spent six months

1:23:58interning at a new place, one of the

1:24:00most effective transitional housing

1:24:01agencies in the area. And during that

1:24:05time, I met countless people who could

1:24:07have been housed months if weeks if not

1:24:09months sooner had they not been stuck in

1:24:11a sort of paperwork purgatory waiting

1:24:13for replacements of vital documents

1:24:14which had often been thrown away during

1:24:17encampment sweeps. Burlington Forward

1:24:19calls for more of those. And I'm really

1:24:22struggling to see how that's going to

1:24:24make it easier for people to get housed,

1:24:26which I trust. I would like to assume

1:24:28that everyone on this council would like

1:24:31to see more of.

1:24:33These were people who were, I think a

1:24:35lot of you would probably say, were

1:24:37doing everything right. They were sober.

1:24:39They had jobs. They were actively and

1:24:41genuinely working to get housed, but

1:24:45they spent weeks waiting because their

1:24:47vital documents had been treated as

1:24:49garbage.

1:24:50And I I also want to mention the bright

1:24:54idea of moving social services out of

1:24:56the downtown sector. That's an

1:24:58accessibility nightmare.

1:25:00When I'm serving meals at the park, I

1:25:02see countless people who are elderly,

1:25:04who are missing limbs, using or very

1:25:08clearly in need of mobility aids. And

1:25:11expecting them to walk is sadistic and

1:25:14it's unrealistic.

1:25:16And

1:25:19taking the bus is hardly a viable option

1:25:21either. Even for the people who somehow

1:25:23can afford the fair, GMT is pretty

1:25:26notoriously unreliable and often

1:25:28crowded. Even if someone does manage to

1:25:30pay the fair, even if they do manage to

1:25:33get on a bus that arrives at the right

1:25:35time, they they're vulnerable to

1:25:38harassment or hostility from other

1:25:39passengers. If you don't see the problem

1:25:41with that, it's terrifying that you're

1:25:43writing policy about it. And

1:25:45furthermore, how are you endorsing more

1:25:46cops and more harassment, completely

1:25:48avoiding addressing the root causes of

1:25:50this and calling it humane?

1:25:52>> Thank you.

1:25:53>> Calling this compassion is an insult to

1:25:54everyone who has shown it to our

1:25:56unhoused neighbors.

1:25:57>> Thank you. Our next speaker is Nathaniel

1:25:59Madison, who will be followed by Jim

1:26:01Carrier.

1:26:11>> Hi. Um, I'm a photographer that's been

1:26:13taking pics in Burlington for about a

1:26:16decade. Um, I share my work online and

1:26:20recently, for the past two years, has

1:26:21included a lot of documentary

1:26:22photography work. Uh, that's

1:26:25unfortunately exposed me to a lot of

1:26:27unwanted uh, quote unquote feedback from

1:26:30the right-wing. So, one term I've heard

1:26:34repeated endlessly from them is the term

1:26:36suicidal empathy in relation to helping

1:26:39homeless folks, protecting immigrants,

1:26:41and so on. And uh they've got it

1:26:44backwards. The problem that we've got in

1:26:46this country is a suicidal lack of

1:26:49empathy.

1:26:50Burlington backward backwards will

1:26:53allocate more money to policing and

1:26:55incarceration at the same exact time as

1:26:58social services are being cut. Likewise,

1:27:01on a national level, billions and

1:27:04billions are being funneled into ice as

1:27:07life in the USA becomes more and more

1:27:09unaffordable.

1:27:11On both the local and national level, we

1:27:14cannot afford to go in this direction

1:27:16and the mayor needs to veto the

1:27:19Burlington backwards resolution if it's

1:27:20passed. And I just wanted to sign on to

1:27:23what other people have said about the

1:27:25police. So, I was uh very uh closely

1:27:29involved in documenting March 11th. And

1:27:32the kind of brutality

1:27:34that I documented was truly horrifying.

1:27:38And when our governor sent the Vermont

1:27:42State Police into Burlington without

1:27:44even informing the mayor at first,

1:27:47claiming that that was going to make

1:27:49people feel more safe,

1:27:52that was so uh incredibly offensive,

1:27:56that these people that came into South

1:27:59Burlington with assault rifles,

1:28:03for people who are standing up for

1:28:05democracy, for standing up to for

1:28:07immigrant rights and standing up against

1:28:09fascism.

1:28:12That's not

1:28:14that only makes a certain type of person

1:28:16feel safe, those people's presence.

1:28:20You next speaker is Jim Carrier who will

1:28:22be followed by Ashley Chiscowski.

1:28:27>> Hi there. Um I'm a writer and editor by

1:28:31profession. In the last 60 years, I've

1:28:34analyzed a lot of documents. The

1:28:36committee that put this document

1:28:37together wants us to know how

1:28:40compassionate we are. They say so over

1:28:43and over and then they say we need to

1:28:45clean the parks and the sidewalks and

1:28:47the camping areas. We need to take all

1:28:49this refugees, homeless, druggies,

1:28:51mentally ill, blankets, needles, and

1:28:53take it somewhere out of sight. I think

1:28:55they mean out of mind.

1:28:58When Jul Rudy Giuliani did that in New

1:29:00York City

1:29:02under his broken windows policy, he

1:29:05cleaned up the city, but the a plurality

1:29:08of the people that he removed were

1:29:09people of color. My biggest complaint

1:29:12about all of this, by the way, there's

1:29:14no price tag on any of this, and I think

1:29:16the deadlines for coming back with

1:29:18particular uh answers is incredibly

1:29:22short. But my biggest issue is this

1:29:25whole idea of creating public space

1:29:27response teams made up of city employees

1:29:31and volunteers who elect to be trained

1:29:34in racial equity,

1:29:37implicit bias, constitutional and civil

1:29:40rights protections. The first

1:29:43requirement will be to address and

1:29:46intercede

1:29:48conduct that unreasonably interferes

1:29:51with the public use and enjoyment of

1:29:53public of Burlington public space. What

1:29:56in hell does that mean? Anyway, um if

1:30:01you're going to do this, city council

1:30:04members, I would ask that you be out

1:30:07there leading your own public space

1:30:11response teams. Thank you.

1:30:15>> Our next speaker is Ashley Juskcowski.

1:30:18Will be followed by Andre Clark.

1:30:23>> Hello. Um, I think someone everyone I

1:30:27think something everyone here can agree

1:30:29on is that we want to see less unhoused

1:30:31people. I want to see less unhoused

1:30:34people because it pains me to see fellow

1:30:36human beings suffering. Other folks

1:30:38here, especially wealthy business

1:30:40owners, want to see less unhoused people

1:30:42because they view them as an

1:30:43unattractive plate on their shopping

1:30:45block. This resolution is not actually a

1:30:48solution. Homelessness occurs when

1:30:51people's general and material needs

1:30:52aren't met. When people are hungry, when

1:30:55they are cold and they don't have a safe

1:30:57place to sleep at night, crime and drug

1:30:59use rises. So why is the solution to

1:31:02curve the social services that are meant

1:31:04to aid those issues? Incarceration

1:31:06incarceration does not fix it. It

1:31:09doesn't help these people get their

1:31:10needs met and it doesn't address any of

1:31:13the root problems. So why are we so

1:31:15focused on a higher police presence? It

1:31:17is a lazy and disingenuous band-aid on a

1:31:20gaping bullet hole and a blatant waste

1:31:23of our tax dollars. If anyone actually

1:31:26cared about fixing this issue, they

1:31:28would see that the studies do not lie.

1:31:30We are tired of proving our worth and

1:31:32dignity to greedy capitalists. We are

1:31:34tired of the cost of living increasing

1:31:36at a disgusting rate while the 1%

1:31:38continues to gain absurd wealth. And we

1:31:40are tired of seeing our neighbor

1:31:42neighbors struggle while wealthy

1:31:43business owners continue to try and push

1:31:45them out. I don't want more police. I

1:31:48want more tangible solution to getting

1:31:50people's needs met. I especially don't

1:31:52want more police when they are known to

1:31:54capitulate to ICE and strangle peaceful

1:31:56protesters. Maybe we would have better

1:31:59resources and funding for Vermonters if

1:32:01we didn't have bad faith actors like

1:32:03Charity Clark wasting our tax dollars on

1:32:06expensively and unnecessarily

1:32:07prosecuting peaceful protesters simply

1:32:10sitting. We pay attention to you all. We

1:32:13will vote you out when given the chance

1:32:16and I am definitely paying attention to

1:32:18the folks who aren't paying attention.

1:32:21And thank you.

1:32:23Thank you. Next speaker is Andre Clark

1:32:26who will be followed by Romeo Herman.

1:32:34>> Can you hear me?

1:32:35>> Yes.

1:32:36>> Uh, hi everyone. My name is Andre Clark.

1:32:39I'm the founder of Street Cats

1:32:40Burlington, a volunteer outreach and

1:32:42advocacy organization building community

1:32:44with our unhoused neighbors. I've spent

1:32:46a good deal of time reviewing the

1:32:48Burlington Ford resolution, providing

1:32:50policy analysis and feedback presented

1:32:52to the city council council and engaging

1:32:54deeply at the committee level and with

1:32:56many members of our community. While I

1:32:59am grateful to the members of this body

1:33:00for taking the time to meet, the changes

1:33:03to this resolution do not adequately

1:33:05incorporate the feedback presented by

1:33:07the community or the committees this

1:33:09resolution was sent to. I mentioned this

1:33:11at the committee level, but the feedback

1:33:14from the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance

1:33:16was not incorporated with only 6% of

1:33:18their feedback fully incorporated, 22%

1:33:21partially implemented, and 72% not

1:33:24implemented. The city cannot continue to

1:33:27fail in its commitment to racial

1:33:29justice, and it is a shame that black

1:33:31and brown voices continue to be ignored.

1:33:35I am disappointed that none of the

1:33:36authors of Burlington Forward have taken

1:33:38the time to speak with the people most

1:33:40affected by the resolution. We have

1:33:42continued to talk about people rather

1:33:45than with them. This policy cannot move

1:33:48forward without a real effort to include

1:33:51the people it claims to help. Nothing

1:33:53about us without us. I have deep

1:33:56concerns that this resolution, both in

1:33:58its original form and as it currently

1:34:01exists, deepens the stigma and judgment

1:34:03our neighbors face daily. I was in City

1:34:05Hall Park today having a great

1:34:07conversation when I noticed someone

1:34:09photographing people sitting in the

1:34:11park. This was a sitting US senator.

1:34:14That's how bad the stigma has gotten. I

1:34:17let him know, and I'll let you all know

1:34:19now, when I was homeless, this was one

1:34:22of my biggest fears, that people would

1:34:25judge me for existing while a homeless.

1:34:27My fears were founded, and if you are

1:34:30homeless, your life is on display for

1:34:32the public's enjoyment and abuse.

1:34:34>> Can you imagine what that feels like? I

1:34:36will never forget it. Thank you.

1:34:41>> Next speaker is Romeo Herman, who will

1:34:43be followed by Charlie Messing.

1:35:00All right. Um, good evening. I want to

1:35:04uh it's it's a very solemn night tonight

1:35:06and uh pardon me. I want to uh thank the

1:35:10Burlington Democratic Party and its city

1:35:12councilors for bringing Burlington

1:35:15forward public safety resolution to

1:35:17tonight's council agenda.

1:35:20Um the and also honoring Mr. Champagne

1:35:24tonight. I think that's incredibly

1:35:25important. He's an amazing human being.

1:35:28Uh public safety is a shared

1:35:30responsibility that should transcend

1:35:32party affiliations. Having reviewed uh

1:35:35both public safety resolution on

1:35:37tonight's agenda and the

1:35:39administration's email response to

1:35:41fellow Burlingtononians,

1:35:43I am disappointed what I see as

1:35:46unnecessarily

1:35:47partisan approach to uh from the

1:35:49administration.

1:35:51While legitimate uh concerns regarding

1:35:54implementation, resources, uh policy

1:35:56deserve thoughtful consideration,

1:35:59those differences should invite

1:36:01constructive dialogue rather than

1:36:03political confrontation.

1:36:05No administration or political party has

1:36:07a monopoly on good ideas and meaningful

1:36:10progress requires a willingness to

1:36:13listen and collaborate with one another.

1:36:17We as Burlingtonians deserve practical

1:36:19solutions, not political tribalism or

1:36:22responses from the administration that

1:36:24reads more like a re-election campaign

1:36:26literature than a genuine effort to

1:36:29engage in a constructive policy

1:36:30discussion. I hope tonight's discussion

1:36:34reflects our shared responsibilities and

1:36:36puts our interest here tonight. Thank

1:36:40you.

1:36:41>> Thank you. Our next speaker is Charlie

1:36:44missing who will be followed by Joey

1:36:46Corkran.

1:37:05Good evening.

1:37:07Uh yes, I'm Charlie Messing. I live two

1:37:10blocks from here.

1:37:12I am noticing that

1:37:15people are gravitating toward the lake.

1:37:19They're drifting down

1:37:22a block further.

1:37:25And um

1:37:27I'm wondering about 115 Pine Street

1:37:31because it's a yellow house directly in

1:37:35back of our

1:37:38giant building on the corner. And it

1:37:41seems that some people are interested in

1:37:44squatting there or

1:37:47it I hope it's all locked up. And um I

1:37:52don't know if I should tell the police

1:37:53or what,

1:37:55but as far as police, I don't hate them

1:37:59because they saved my life once and you

1:38:02know that was enough. And uh I think of

1:38:06them as individual people.

1:38:09Um

1:38:13something has to change. As you know, I

1:38:17don't know enough about Burlington

1:38:19Forward to really know

1:38:23whether I'm for it or whether I mean,

1:38:26I'm kind of fussy. I would probably play

1:38:28with it for a while, you know, like a

1:38:30cat and a ball of string and keep at it.

1:38:35I used to be an editor. Anyway, the

1:38:39people

1:38:41has anyone checked the lights on Pine

1:38:44Street yet to see if they're all bright

1:38:46enough to see so that no one else gets

1:38:50hit by a car. Um, I think this is

1:38:56important.

1:38:57Uh, nightw watch the other day was just

1:39:01great. It was a great event. And if

1:39:04anybody's still taking psychedelics, I

1:39:06hope they were there.

1:39:11Peace.

1:39:12Thank you, Charlie.

1:39:14Uh, our next speaker is Joey Corkran who

1:39:17will be followed by Alexander Melville.

1:39:25>> Good evening. My name is Joey Corkran,

1:39:2723-year W 6 resident. I'm here to

1:39:31address the Burlington Forward

1:39:32resolution. As a former licensed mental

1:39:35health counselor, I believe that feeling

1:39:37safe is a bottom line. So, I thank you

1:39:40for your intentions

1:39:42to increase everyone's safety here.

1:39:45However, I have serious concerns with

1:39:47the expansion of public safety

1:39:49personnel. Their task is apparently to

1:39:52address and intercede in conduct that

1:39:54unreasonably interferes with the

1:39:56public's use and enjoyment.

1:39:59What are the criteria for such conduct?

1:40:02Members of the proposed public space

1:40:04response teams would issue notices

1:40:07against trespass. Have you observed how

1:40:10tricky it is for our current remarkable

1:40:12urban rangers to carry this out?

1:40:15Balancing compassion and accountability

1:40:18for all parties involved. I don't have

1:40:21faith that a member of one of these

1:40:23teams with minimal training and possible

1:40:26bias is going to be competent to carry

1:40:28this out. We already have community

1:40:31support liaison. Please consider

1:40:34building on them.

1:40:36I encourage you to interview as you

1:40:39develop this resolution mutual aid

1:40:42volunteers like Sam Bliss of Food Not

1:40:44Cops and Andre Clark of Street Cats

1:40:47who've been connecting frequently with

1:40:49unsheltered folks. Come to City Hall

1:40:52Park when there are meals being offered.

1:40:56Follow the invitation of Fared and

1:40:58connect with unhoused people directly.

1:41:01They are as mixed a group as you and all

1:41:04of us. Ask them what they need. I

1:41:07currently volunteer with food not cops

1:41:10and providing service and community

1:41:12connections is what I see seasoned

1:41:14volunteers doing. They know the

1:41:16unsheltered people who we serve by name

1:41:19and have conversations, offer support as

1:41:22needed. I think that's a primary way to

1:41:25create safety.

1:41:29I hope you reconsider

1:41:31reconsider clearing out the urban

1:41:33reserve. And yes, I'll finish in a

1:41:37second. Portaotties by the lake, more

1:41:39here in Burlington for tourists and

1:41:41homeless folk.

1:41:43>> How about showers for people who don't

1:41:44have a home to have one in lockers to

1:41:47store possessions? And I am in favor of

1:41:50the OPC.

1:41:52>> Thank you.

1:41:52>> Thank you. Our next speaker is Alexander

1:41:55Melville, who will be followed by

1:41:56Kenneth Allen.

1:42:03>> Hello. I'm here to talk about the plan

1:42:06BTV New North End. That's where I live

1:42:09with my family. I support your

1:42:11recommendation to wave the reading and

1:42:14set the public hearings and look forward

1:42:16to hearing from all of my neighbors. I'm

1:42:19here to remind you that uh all of

1:42:22something I'm sure you've heard before,

1:42:23but sometimes in a city council public

1:42:25forum that's gone on for one and a half

1:42:27hours, it's worth saying again.

1:42:31Every problem you've heard from us today

1:42:34is likely alleviated by allowing more

1:42:36housing to be built.

1:42:39Homelessness, public safety, hiring

1:42:42police officers, transportation, funding

1:42:44social services. I can keep going, but I

1:42:47think you all understand.

1:42:50I didn't come here to deride you because

1:42:52even though I didn't get what I wanted

1:42:54at that important Plan BTV New North End

1:42:57meeting at the Robert Miller Center, I

1:43:00think it was a great example of small D

1:43:02democracy and improvement through

1:43:04listening.

1:43:06I have no doubt that you'll hear a wide

1:43:08variety of reasons to delay, blunt, or

1:43:12even stop any changes in the new North

1:43:15End.

1:43:16They will be true, honest accounts of

1:43:18our neighbors experience in the new

1:43:20north end.

1:43:23When you hear these accounts, I ask you

1:43:25to balance their stories with the ways

1:43:28in which greater and denser housing will

1:43:31help you achieve nearly all of the

1:43:33initiatives you've heard about today.

1:43:37Thank you for making the hard decisions.

1:43:41>> Thank you. Our next speaker is Kenneth

1:43:44Allen who will be followed by Theo

1:43:46Wheeland and then Dave Hartnett will be

1:43:49our last in-person speaker.

1:43:52>> Hi um Ken Allen. I'm privileged enough

1:43:55to hold a faculty position at the

1:43:56University of Vermont where I study and

1:43:59teach in the field of public health. I

1:44:01had prepared a talk tonight which would

1:44:03have just reiterated things that my

1:44:06community members have just stated about

1:44:07the cruelty and likely ineffectiveness

1:44:10of your proposal for Burlington Forward.

1:44:13I decided just a minute ago to tell you

1:44:15a more personal story. Um,

1:44:18when I was 25, I invited my 16-year-old

1:44:22cousin to come to live in my house um

1:44:26after his father passed away from

1:44:28alcoholism and his mother overdosed on

1:44:30pills. I soon found out that he was also

1:44:34using

1:44:35and I told him he could only stay in my

1:44:38house if he was prepared to stop.

1:44:42He was not, of course. Um, so he I asked

1:44:46him to leave the house. Two days later,

1:44:49he overdosed. He went into a coma. He

1:44:52never came out.

1:44:55I thought I was doing the right thing.

1:44:57Like, I bet you think you're doing the

1:44:59right thing, but it was the most

1:45:01expensive lesson that I ever learned in

1:45:03my life. These kinds of approaches don't

1:45:06work because you're not meeting people

1:45:08where they are. You're not providing

1:45:09them with what they need. And the big

1:45:12difference is I don't think you'll ever

1:45:14learn the lesson because I think if your

1:45:17program goes into effect, you may

1:45:19someday be walking down the street in

1:45:20Burlington and where you used to see a

1:45:23person who is unhoused living on the

1:45:25street. You'll see a vacant spot and

1:45:28you'll think that you've accomplished

1:45:29something. But you won't know what

1:45:31happened to that person. You won't know

1:45:33if they overdosed in the woods. You

1:45:36won't know if they were sexually

1:45:38assaulted because they're no longer in a

1:45:40safe spot. you won't realize the

1:45:43violence that you have inflicted on

1:45:45people simply for being poor. So, I ask

1:45:48that you reconsider um your proposal and

1:45:52um Ben, I would hope that Mayor Mulaney

1:45:56would veto this proposal should you pass

1:45:58it.

1:46:00>> Thank you. Our next speaker is Theo

1:46:02Wheeland, who will be followed by Dave

1:46:04Hartnett.

1:46:07>> Hello. Can you hear me?

1:46:09Hi, I'm Theo. I'm a member of the

1:46:11Democratic Socialist of America, and

1:46:13that's the only organization I'll be

1:46:15speaking on behalf of today. Um,

1:46:19capitalism and its cops cannot keep us

1:46:22safe.

1:46:24uh capitalism and its cops cannot keep

1:46:26us safe from climate change, cannot keep

1:46:28us safe from the threat of super

1:46:31intelligence AI that's that's rapidly

1:46:33increasing due to the profit motive.

1:46:36Cannot keep us safe from nuclear war

1:46:38with Russia or nuclear war with China.

1:46:40Uh cannot keep us safe from the the

1:46:43ecological poly crisis uh that is

1:46:45bearing down on us um as as we live

1:46:48through the sixth extinction. There are

1:46:50enormous threats um and and capitalism

1:46:54simply not up to the task. The the

1:46:56squabbbling that we're engaged in

1:46:58tonight is the the result of a failing

1:47:01system. Um capitalism cannot keep us

1:47:05safe from the malaise that we're all

1:47:07feeling as the rates of profit in this

1:47:10country and empire continue to decline.

1:47:12Um and and likewise cops cannot keep

1:47:15small business owners on Church Street

1:47:18uh safe from failing business models. Uh

1:47:22the couch economy uh which means uh the

1:47:25economy of shifting consumption patterns

1:47:29where uh all of us are more likely to

1:47:32stream shows on our couch, more likely

1:47:34to order food from Door Dash. uh this

1:47:37this whole different way of living

1:47:38that's been opened up by the smartphone

1:47:40and social media and AI. That's what has

1:47:43changed. Homeless people are not the

1:47:46problem. Scapegoating them will not save

1:47:49these businesses. We live in a market

1:47:51economy. We live under capitalism. It

1:47:53involves creative destruction. There

1:47:56will be businesses that will fail. It is

1:47:58not your job to save these businesses.

1:48:01And hiring more police will not stop

1:48:04these businesses from going under. I

1:48:06think we've talked a lot about addiction

1:48:07today and we have a number of businesses

1:48:09that are addicted to cops and we have to

1:48:11stop enabling them. Uh thank you Mayor

1:48:13Emma for u uh vetoing this.

1:48:18>> Our last uh Burlington resident here in

1:48:20person is Dave Hartnett. We'll then turn

1:48:22to Burlington residents who are online

1:48:24and the first speaker there will be

1:48:26Julie Masuga.

1:48:28>> Thank you, President Travers. I think

1:48:31I'd like to start out tonight by quoting

1:48:34um someone that we all think uh a lot of

1:48:37and meant a lot to this city and he's

1:48:40he's he's at his life's end here any day

1:48:43now. But as Andrew Champagne would say,

1:48:46brothers, we got to get this right. And

1:48:49that's in memory for Andrew. And I just

1:48:51wanted to mention him tonight because he

1:48:54had, I think, a a lasting impression on

1:48:57all of us here in this room. and uh he

1:48:59was a a big part of Burlington. So, I

1:49:01just wanted to mention Andrew tonight.

1:49:04Um you know, two weeks ago I sat in this

1:49:06room uh at a recovery workshop and it

1:49:10was wall-to-wall people and this city is

1:49:15divided because that conversation that

1:49:18night was totally different from what

1:49:19I'm hearing tonight right here from the

1:49:21public forum. Um, over the last three

1:49:24months I've knocked on about 2500 doors

1:49:26in the new north end and I'm running for

1:49:29state rep and you would think they'd

1:49:31want to talk about health care or

1:49:33education. Uh, but that's not the topic.

1:49:36It's Burlington. It's downtown

1:49:38Burlington and what they're saying is

1:49:41what we're doing isn't working right.

1:49:44And I would plead with any of the

1:49:46counselors here, if you really want to

1:49:49get out and you really want to find out

1:49:51how people feel, go to each other's

1:49:54wards, knock on their doors, understand

1:49:57why this council is divided because

1:50:00we're not getting the real read in this

1:50:03room tonight. Right? There are issues

1:50:06downtown for sure. They're regional.

1:50:09They're national. They're and we I

1:50:12understand that. but not to do anything,

1:50:15not to address the problems. And I will

1:50:18tell you, I have heard at every door and

1:50:20they're not pointing fing fingers and

1:50:21they're not blaming anybody, but what

1:50:23they're saying is what we are doing now

1:50:27is not working. So, I encourage this

1:50:30council to come together, forget about

1:50:32who gets credit for it, forget about

1:50:35politics, come together and get this

1:50:38right. Thank you.

1:50:40>> Thank you. We will now turn to

1:50:42Burlington residents who are online. The

1:50:44first is Julie Masuga. Um and then Julie

1:50:49will be followed by Linda Ferscing. I

1:50:51will note that Linda, uh I do not see

1:50:55anyone by that name on Zoom. If you're

1:50:57under a different name, if you could

1:50:58please use the raise hand function. Uh

1:51:00if Linda is not here, we will turn to

1:51:03Sylvia Knight. Uh but Julie, you should

1:51:05be able to go ahead and unmute yourself.

1:51:07Um, I'll start the timer here and this

1:51:09I'll share my screen in a moment if you

1:51:11want to go ahead.

1:51:13>> Apologies for not joining in person and

1:51:15recovering from vaccines. Just a

1:51:17reminder for everyone to go get

1:51:18vaccinated ahead of Halloween. Um, a lot

1:51:21of people are speaking and will continue

1:51:23to speak on the issues apparent with

1:51:24Burlington Forward. And I want to say

1:51:26something that's not being said out

1:51:28loud. This entire scheme put before us

1:51:30right before the elections is all just a

1:51:32political stunt. The Democrats willfully

1:51:35ignored input from public and prog and

1:51:37the progressive party. Half of the

1:51:39things in the proposal hardly seem

1:51:40enforceable at all. This was slapped

1:51:42together so that the average voter who

1:51:44will never read the document would see

1:51:46that the mayor and pro progressives

1:51:48voted it down and then they would be

1:51:50able to claim that the mayor doesn't

1:51:51care about safety. They want talking

1:51:53points to try to get Ben Travers or some

1:51:55other Dem elected later on regardless of

1:51:57if this passes. If they actually cared

1:52:00about the substance of this proposal,

1:52:01they wouldn't have hid and refused to

1:52:03talk to anybody about it. For the past

1:52:04few months, I went to one of the early

1:52:07REIB meetings where this was discussed.

1:52:10Speakers came in to tell us about how

1:52:11well the kinds of evidence-based safety

1:52:13measures like safe injection sites were

1:52:15working in their community, how it

1:52:16didn't drop property values, and how

1:52:18lives were saved. I watched counselor

1:52:20Carpenter roll her eyes through the

1:52:22entire presentation, actively refusing

1:52:24to take in evidence. Burlington Forward

1:52:26offers no evidence. While the mayor's

1:52:28office puts out constant updates about

1:52:30the progress being made on public

1:52:31safety, the statistics that prove we're

1:52:34moving in a better direction without

1:52:35these police state measures. But as

1:52:37always, the wealthy business owners of

1:52:39Church Street, many of whom who do don't

1:52:41even live here or vote in Burlington,

1:52:43get to set the agenda. The Dems can be

1:52:45bought. I hope the progressives can't

1:52:47and will veto and vote this down. This

1:52:49stunt is sad and I pray that it fails. I

1:52:52will do what I can to ensure voters

1:52:53remember this mess and that the

1:52:55Democrats attempt to steal seats with

1:52:56fear tactics and flimsy proposals

1:52:58backfires. Mayor know if you veto this,

1:53:01people will take notice, be heartened,

1:53:03and stand in support. Thank you.

1:53:07>> The next speaker after Julie was Linda

1:53:09Fing. I do not see Linda online. If

1:53:11you're under a different name, if you

1:53:12could please use the raised hand. The

1:53:14same is true for Sylvia Knight. I do not

1:53:17see uh Sylvia uh online. if you could

1:53:21use the raise hand. Um, Emma Corey is

1:53:26next. After that, if we could go ahead

1:53:28and promote Emma Corey, please. Emma,

1:53:30please go ahead.

1:53:35>> Can you hear me?

1:53:36>> Yes.

1:53:39>> Good evening. I'm Dr. Emma Corey from W

1:53:416 and a 25-y year resident of

1:53:43Burlington.

1:53:45As someone who grew up a low-income

1:53:46verter with a parent who struggled with

1:53:48addiction for years, I have a personal

1:53:50investment in the Burlington Forward

1:53:52resolution. Hearing my neighbors come

1:53:55tonight and speak to the humanity of our

1:53:57unhoused community has brought me much

1:53:58hope and I echo many of the sentiments.

1:54:01I would also like to point out that not

1:54:03one speaker has suggested that we do

1:54:05nothing or ignore the problem. This is a

1:54:08long-standing issue resulting from years

1:54:10of unadressed systemic failures and I

1:54:12would like to see our city leadership

1:54:14working more together with a united

1:54:16vision.

1:54:18I am grateful for the engagement and the

1:54:20willingness to improve. However, the

1:54:22changes today are not enough. We are far

1:54:25from where we need to be and I see

1:54:27several themes to address. Please talk

1:54:30to our unhoused neighbors. It is

1:54:31unfathomable to me that our city

1:54:34leadership is discussing this resolution

1:54:35without active engagement with our most

1:54:38marginalized residents. Please engage

1:54:40with our sweet unhoused community and

1:54:42uplift their humanity and their voices.

1:54:45Second, we are still criminalizing

1:54:47homelessness and addiction. This will be

1:54:49expensive and will not solve the complex

1:54:52systemic problem.

1:54:54Third, although much has been improved

1:54:56with the current draft, it is still

1:54:57problematic from a racial and social

1:54:59justice perspective. Burlington

1:55:01unanimously voted on a resolution to

1:55:03address racism as a public health

1:55:05emergency, but that work has been

1:55:06abandoned. It remains a major systemic

1:55:09issue in our city, directly linked to

1:55:11the housing crisis, and this must be

1:55:13addressed. The REI office needs to be

1:55:15re-empowered and fully staffed to

1:55:17restart its training programs for all

1:55:20city leadership and anyone in the city

1:55:22interacting with our residents. This is

1:55:24essential work and training, belonging,

1:55:27and equity for everyone in our city.

1:55:30Please restart this work and integrate a

1:55:33social and racial justice lens into the

1:55:35approach to our housing crisis and this

1:55:38resolution.

1:55:39Last, it is already cold outside. We

1:55:42need an immediate action plan to improve

1:55:44life of all Burlington residents,

1:55:46including our unhoused neighbors. This

1:55:48includes more toilets, which we have

1:55:50been discussing for two years. Where do

1:55:52we expect people to go to the bathroom

1:55:53when they are downtown? Handwashing

1:55:56stations, water bottle refill stations.

1:55:58Thank you.

1:56:00Thank you, Emma.

1:56:03Uh, our next Burlington resident online

1:56:05is Evan Gould. Uh, I see an Evan. Evan,

1:56:08if that's Evan Gould, if you could use

1:56:09the raised hand and then after Evan, it

1:56:12will be Yep. So, if we could promote

1:56:13Evan, that would be great. And then Evan

1:56:15will be followed by Gordon Dragoon. And

1:56:17then Sharon Busher is our last

1:56:19Burlington resident online. Um, Evan

1:56:21should be able to go ahead. Thank you.

1:56:23>> Yep. Can you hear me?

1:56:24>> Yes.

1:56:25>> Okay. I'll keep this short since it's

1:56:27been a long session and I did send an

1:56:30email, but I just wanted to kind of come

1:56:32and voice my support for the changes in

1:56:34plan BTV New North End, especially

1:56:36around mobility and kind of increasing

1:56:39housing. Um, I want more neighbors. I

1:56:42want my kids to have safe rides to

1:56:43school. Uh, and yeah, so that's it. I'll

1:56:46leave it at that. And if you want to

1:56:48read my email, it is out there. But

1:56:49thank you.

1:56:51>> Thank you, Evan. And yes, we did receive

1:56:53your email. Uh, next speaker is Gordon

1:56:56Dragoon and then Sharon Busher.

1:57:00Gordon, you should be able to go ahead.

1:57:03>> Hi there. Uh, I'm similarly just going

1:57:07to try to go quick. I know we all been

1:57:08here for a while. I I am calling in

1:57:11support of Plan BTV New North End. I

1:57:14think that city staff has done great

1:57:16outreach on this. This is the part of

1:57:18the city that we need to target. The

1:57:19dwelling units per acre are very low,

1:57:22but it's also one of the busiest

1:57:23transportation quarters in the state.

1:57:25Building density on quarters is a key

1:57:26part of building a robust and effective

1:57:28public transportation network. Beyond

1:57:30that, it gives safer ways for adults and

1:57:32children to navigate to school and just

1:57:34get around without a personal vehicle,

1:57:36which I know is in line with the city's

1:57:38goals. And then also, we're in a housing

1:57:40crisis, a homelessness crisis, and a

1:57:42jobs crisis. AO affordable housing is

1:57:44the way that we deal with these

1:57:46problems. U I think that this proposal

1:57:48has already moved from five focus areas

1:57:51to three. I would advise the city

1:57:53council to at least keep it at that and

1:57:55make sure we don't water it down any

1:57:56further. Thanks for your time.

1:57:59>> Thank you. Uh we will go ahead now and

1:58:02promote Sharon Busher. Uh we did also

1:58:05have Sylvia Knight and Linda Fersing

1:58:08signed up, but I did not see Sylvia or

1:58:10Linda online. If you are online now, if

1:58:12you could use the raise hand function,

1:58:14that would be great. Um, otherwise,

1:58:16Sharon, please go ahead.

1:58:18>> Uh, thank you very much, President

1:58:20Travers. Um, I'm also going to speak in

1:58:23support of uh, Plan BTV, New North End.

1:58:27I think good legislation is messy and

1:58:30you can apply that to tonight for your

1:58:32other resolution and it takes time and

1:58:35you need to listen to all parties that

1:58:38are impacted or have some skin in the

1:58:42game. The new northn proposal reflects

1:58:45the effort put in by staff and the

1:58:48effort and input put in by the

1:58:51community, the new northn community

1:58:53members. I think that it's a decent

1:58:56plan. I heard tonight there might be a

1:58:58disconnect between what's posted on the

1:59:00website because the memo that you all

1:59:03received reflects taking out the Jewish

1:59:07cemetery, etc. So, I just want to make

1:59:10that point. I also want to say the

1:59:12important aspect of the city asset study

1:59:16that will be done and will give some

1:59:18value and some information about where

1:59:21housing can go and um I think we'll all

1:59:24learn a lot. Second item has to do with

1:59:27the the charter change proposal for

1:59:29modern gov. I just want to caution the

1:59:32council for for this resolution. There

1:59:35are this charter change. I believe that

1:59:39this gives more power to the

1:59:41administration and people who are not

1:59:44elected by the residents of Burlington.

1:59:47And I feel that if this council doesn't

1:59:51exercise its checks and balances and

1:59:53doesn't get to confirm the appointments

1:59:56that are suggested here, especially the

1:59:58planning director, I think the community

2:00:01gets a loss and your voice is silent.

2:00:04Silence, but more importantly for me is

2:00:06my voice is silenced because my

2:00:09representatives won't be able to weigh

2:00:11in. And I just want to say when you're

2:00:14making appointments, sometimes those

2:00:16additional eyes and ears add value and

2:00:19can appoint something to the

2:00:22administration saying there might be a

2:00:24disconnect between this person and the

2:00:26position they're supposed to fill. Thank

2:00:28you very much.

2:00:30>> Thank you, Sharon. Uh we now have a

2:00:33handful of non- Burlington residents

2:00:35signed up here in city hall. Uh is Brian

2:00:39Clifford here? So, we'll go to Brian.

2:00:41And is Gwendel in here? Oh, no. That I

2:00:44see Gwen. Okay. Um, so if not, then

2:00:48Brian will be followed by June Goodband

2:00:50and then, uh, Aiso Makuku.

2:00:56>> Brian.

2:00:56>> Awesome. You're up.

2:00:57>> Uh, thank you. Um, Brian, I do mutual

2:00:59aid stuff in Burlington. And um I'd like

2:01:02to echo uh the mayor's suggestion of

2:01:05tableabling Burlington forward um for a

2:01:08lot of reasons that people already

2:01:09discussed, but I think one is um that

2:01:13it's like trying to do way too much.

2:01:14Like it gives me pause to think that

2:01:18like it's been 3 months and the what we

2:01:20have done is essentially given the city

2:01:22a chance to like take an initial

2:01:24assessment of it and make the first

2:01:25draft of updates. Um it makes me wonder

2:01:27how long it's all the stuff is going to

2:01:29be take to actually implement

2:01:31particularly when a lot of it's unfunded

2:01:33and um requires expansion of programs

2:01:36that are being defunded and there are no

2:01:38more cops and the prisons are all full.

2:01:40Um so I think like just going through

2:01:42everything in it is like helpful to see

2:01:44like why it's too much like we're

2:01:46talking about improving accessibility of

2:01:48parks. We're talking about cleaning up

2:01:49parks, preventing crimes in parks,

2:01:52making it easier to do events in parks.

2:01:53We're possibly putting vendors next to

2:01:55the new surveillance trailer in City

2:01:56Hall Park. Possibly putting a mini

2:01:58police station next to the surveillance

2:02:00trailer in City Hall Park. We're

2:02:01creating volunteer teams of civilians to

2:02:03enforce municipal ordinances. We're

2:02:04conducting an audit of surveillance

2:02:06cameras. We're possibly installing more

2:02:08surveillance cameras. We're banning ALPR

2:02:10cameras and similar systems. We're

2:02:12creating official city cleanup crews to

2:02:13remove trash and graffiti. We're

2:02:15providing property owners and resources

2:02:17to more easily trespass people. We're

2:02:19establishing public space performance

2:02:21standards so we can measure whether or

2:02:23not any of this makes a difference as

2:02:25we're asking for intervention from state

2:02:27government by way of policing and

2:02:29support services. We're planning out

2:02:31sanctioned camping policy. We're crank

2:02:33cracking down on unauthorized

2:02:35encampments. We're expanding temporary

2:02:37shelter space. We're denouncing drug

2:02:39trafficking. We're recommending more

2:02:40people be prosecuted for lower level

2:02:42offenses. We're pursuing the expansion

2:02:44of treatment and recovery services.

2:02:46We're lobbying the state legislature to

2:02:48make sure to lock up make it easier to

2:02:50lock up repeat low-level offenders.

2:02:53We're assessing the performance of the

2:02:54city circle. We're asking the DMV

2:02:56highway patrol to p pull more people

2:02:58over. We're requesting the Vermont State

2:03:00Police patrol downtown more often and

2:03:02I'll I guess finish another time.

2:03:06>> Thank you. Um our next speaker is June

2:03:09Goodband who will be followed by Aiso

2:03:13Aiso Makuku.

2:03:18Hello, I'm June Goodband and I live in

2:03:21Springfield, Vermont, but I'm a

2:03:22candidate for governor in the Peace and

2:03:24Justice Party. And over many years,

2:03:28federal and state policies,

2:03:32political and economic policies have

2:03:34created rising homelessness that creates

2:03:37a serious public health problem,

2:03:40particularly to the people who are left

2:03:42unhoused or scrambling for a place to

2:03:45stay.

2:03:47And the emphasis

2:03:50seems to be that's not a big problem.

2:03:53They say it's a major publica safety

2:03:56risk when the comfortable are made a

2:03:59little less comfortable.

2:04:03It is not the city of Burlington alone

2:04:06that needs to address this problem.

2:04:10The state can take action. I wouldn't

2:04:12wait for the federal government to do it

2:04:14at this point. But we need to look at

2:04:18how we can shift

2:04:22towards having more people housed,

2:04:24having more people supported um in their

2:04:29moving towards the way they want to live

2:04:31that they would choose to live if they

2:04:33had options

2:04:35and moving the power, not just the

2:04:38wealth, from the richest to everyday

2:04:41people. And that includes homeless

2:04:44people. any of us could be homeless at

2:04:46any time

2:04:48and

2:04:51we could make this change if we made

2:04:53major changes in priorities. And I don't

2:04:56think the city of Burlington can do this

2:04:58on their own. Right now, 60% of the

2:05:01people that are in prison are either

2:05:05pre-trial or after their furlow date. If

2:05:10we could release 50% of them, it would

2:05:12save $82 million,

2:05:15more than that, and it would save a

2:05:17hundred,000 hundred million on building

2:05:20a new prison. The state can change this,

2:05:23and we can work together, but you're not

2:05:26in a position to be able to totally

2:05:28change it on your own.

2:05:30>> Thank you.

2:05:32>> Thank you.

2:05:33Uh our last uh non- Burlington resident

2:05:35here in person is Aiso Makuku and then

2:05:38we will turn online to non- Burlington

2:05:40residents. The three individuals we have

2:05:42signed up online are Eric Rall, Karena,

2:05:46and Joshu Floruchi. Uh Eric and Joshua,

2:05:50I do not see you under those names

2:05:53online. If you're under a different

2:05:54name, if you could please use the raised

2:05:55hand function on Zoom. But first, we'll

2:05:57stay here in city hall. Thank you.

2:06:00>> Hi. Um, in an effort to in an effort to

2:06:03effectively run a business in

2:06:05Burlington, I'm here today speaking on

2:06:06behalf of Main Street Landing. I'd like

2:06:09to support the majority of approaches

2:06:11addressed by Burlington forward and hope

2:06:12that the mayor, progressives, and

2:06:14Democrats on the council can work

2:06:16together on this important public safety

2:06:18and community supportd driven framework

2:06:20as outlined. Our tenants and employees

2:06:22have been screamed at, threatened, and

2:06:24stolen from. My team has had to clean up

2:06:27human feces and urine from our hallways

2:06:29and staircases. My team and I treat

2:06:31everyone with respect. We can't demand

2:06:33the same from everyone who enters our

2:06:35buildings and grounds. There's no easy

2:06:37solution to the layers of problems that

2:06:40we're experiencing in Burlington. What

2:06:42we've been doing to date hasn't been

2:06:43especially effective. This resolution is

2:06:46an attempt at trying a different

2:06:47approach. Thank you.

2:06:51>> Thank you. Uh we're now going to finish

2:06:53public forum online. I will note to

2:06:56councilors and the public that absent

2:06:58any objection once we close public forum

2:07:00uh we are going to turn to item 6.1 a

2:07:04resolution honoring Andrew Champagne and

2:07:06I hope that we can uh take that out of

2:07:08order to accommodate some folks I I know

2:07:10are tuned in this evening. Um but first

2:07:13we're going to go online again in order.

2:07:15The non- Burlington residents we had

2:07:16signed up online were Eric Grall, Karen

2:07:18Seda, and Josh Fluuchi. Uh, I do not see

2:07:22Eric or Josh online. If you're under a

2:07:25different name, if you could please use

2:07:27the raised hand function. Um, I do see

2:07:30Karen Sa and Karen, we will go ahead and

2:07:33unmute you and you can begin uh once you

2:07:35see the timer here.

2:07:39>> Hi.

2:07:42>> Go ahead.

2:07:42>> Can I be heard?

2:07:44>> Yes. Go ahead.

2:07:44>> Okay, great. I'm going to use my time

2:07:46wisely because there's a lot going down

2:07:48in this our once beloved state. They're

2:07:50trying to convince you that there's a

2:07:52woman of color who paid the price and

2:07:54lives in Burlington allegedly um and has

2:07:57lived in Burlington for a long time and

2:07:59Karen Sitta does not I've never met um

2:08:01Amanda Janu. I've never even heard of

2:08:03the chick and they're trying to convince

2:08:04that there was a powerful woman of color

2:08:06because she's not white in Vermont and I

2:08:09don't know her. She's never met I've

2:08:10never looked her in the eyes.

2:08:12Something's going down. And the fact

2:08:13that Bernie's ass was sorry, Bernard,

2:08:16the fact that Bernard was um announcing

2:08:18her by the community health center. Of

2:08:20course, I'm connected to I'm a tourist.

2:08:22I'm always right. And I'm connected to

2:08:24obviously God, he loves me. So, I was

2:08:25like, uhuh, there's something going

2:08:26down. Um, yes, I'm pissed off the fact

2:08:30that the city is going to put a drug

2:08:31injection place right by the spa or or

2:08:34the bare medical um place where all the

2:08:36girls, you know, get hot. Pretty much

2:08:39it's a spa place for our facials. So,

2:08:41we're gonna have to get facials and see

2:08:42injections or whatever the heck is going

2:08:44out. And then that hotel that you guys

2:08:46have created, do they know that you guys

2:08:47are planning to do this? And then like

2:08:49the LA, oh my gosh, you're ruining our

2:08:50city. Um, I want to thank the governor

2:08:53because he actually saved our city

2:08:55because those police officers were the

2:08:56best thing this summer. And also, he

2:08:58knew I was right when I was telling you

2:08:59guys to um get housing. I just I just

2:09:02I'm just disgusted. I was going down and

2:09:04I don't even know how to begin. And I

2:09:06talk I tell people all the time, you

2:09:08know, managing new I I you know, I

2:09:10support

2:09:11Phil Scott, but I just I just feel like

2:09:13something's going down. I just know it.

2:09:15I'm a Taurus. And you know, we just had

2:09:16that Hunter Moon. So to all my astrology

2:09:19girls, to all my hot girls who are just

2:09:22connected to God because we know he

2:09:23loves us, just look her down because

2:09:26something is going down. And you know,

2:09:27they want to ruin Vermont and I'm trying

2:09:29my best. And oh gosh, you guys, it's

2:09:32just a disgrace. And um what else? I

2:09:35just

2:09:36Oh, and Mary and I will never be

2:09:37friends. So, every time she sees me,

2:09:38it's going to be beef. And beef as in

2:09:40smart girl beef, cuz you know, we're not

2:09:42ghetto and we're in Vermont. So, watch

2:09:44yourself. And anyways, I'm done. I'm so

2:09:47over this disgusting state. What a

2:09:50shame. Anyways, you're going to ruin

2:09:52anyways, so I don't have to do much.

2:09:53>> Okay. Thank you.

2:09:55>> Thank you, Karen. Um, I do not see any

2:09:59other non- Burlington residents who are

2:10:01signed up online in advance. As a

2:10:03reminder, in order to participate in

2:10:04public forum online, our rules require

2:10:06that you sign up at least an hour in

2:10:08advance. Uh so we will go ahead then and

2:10:10close public forum at 8:18 p.m. Um we

2:10:14will turn now, as I mentioned before,

2:10:16absent objection, uh out of order here

2:10:18and so we'll consider our rules

2:10:20suspended um to item 6.1, a resolution

2:10:24honoring Andrew Champagne. And the

2:10:27reason for turning to it now is uh

2:10:30Andrew is a dear friend of many of us

2:10:32here at this table, has been a dear

2:10:34friend to the city. Uh and I do know

2:10:36that there are a group of close loved

2:10:39ones and friends who are gathering with

2:10:41Andrew now as we meet. Uh and want to

2:10:44make sure that we uh turn to the item

2:10:46while he has an opportunity to uh hear

2:10:49our our gratitude for his dedication and

2:10:51service to this city. Um I will take a

2:10:54moment if appropriate to just read the

2:10:57resolution that has been presented here

2:10:59and then would appreciate a motion to

2:11:01that end uh and then open the floor to

2:11:04any comments from other counselors. The

2:11:06resolution is relating to honoring

2:11:08Andrew Champagne. Whereas Andrew

2:11:11Champagne has been a proud Burlington

2:11:12resident for most of the last 40 years

2:11:14since his arrival in the early 1980s to

2:11:17attend the University of Vermont. And

2:11:19whereas Andrew served as a delegate to

2:11:20the Democratic National Committee

2:11:22Convention for the last four

2:11:23presidential elections, Obama in 2012,

2:11:25Clinton in 2016, Biden in 2020, and

2:11:28Harris in 2024. And whereas the

2:11:31Burlington City Democratic Committee

2:11:33honored Andrew in 2025 for his decades

2:11:35of public service by awarding him the

2:11:37inaugural Andrew Champagne Service

2:11:39Award. And whereas having been first

2:11:41elected to the Office of Justice of the

2:11:43Peace in 2000 and winning re-election in

2:11:45every general election since, Andrew has

2:11:47presided over hundreds of weddings, many

2:11:49of which he agreed to perform the same

2:11:51day of the ceremony. And whereas Andrew

2:11:54is a proud resident of the Old North End

2:11:56and served as a W 2 inspector of

2:11:58elections from 2013 to 2026. And whereas

2:12:02Andrew was chosen by Mayor Maro

2:12:03Weinberger to swear him into the office

2:12:05for his second term that began in 2015.

2:12:08And whereas Andrew was appointed several

2:12:10times by the city council to serve on

2:12:12the board of tax appeals, a quasi

2:12:14judicial body that hears and decides

2:12:16property tax assessment appeals to

2:12:18ensure that Burlington taxpayers are

2:12:20treated fairly. And whereas inspired by

2:12:23the example of his civically engaged

2:12:25parents, Robert and Katherine Champagne,

2:12:27who instilled in him a deep sense of

2:12:29civic pride and a commitment to public

2:12:30service, since 2012, Andrew registered

2:12:33nearly 2,000 verters to vote at music

2:12:36and political events and wherever people

2:12:38were gathered. And whereas Andrew served

2:12:41for many years as a member of the

2:12:42steering committee of the Wii 2

2:12:44Neighborhood Planning Assembly in

2:12:45Burlington's Old North End. And whereas

2:12:47a proud Democrat, Andrew marched with

2:12:50contagious enthusiasm in many parades

2:12:52alongside his favorite Vermont

2:12:54politicians. And whereas, while he is

2:12:57not shy about his own political

2:12:59allegiances, Andrew has consistently

2:13:01demonstrated respect for those who

2:13:03serve, regardless of their political

2:13:05affiliation, and a willingness to help

2:13:07them succeed for the betterment of our

2:13:09community. Now therefore, be it resolved

2:13:12that the city of Burlington wishes to

2:13:13honor and express deep appreciation to

2:13:15Andrew for being a model of civic

2:13:17involvement and in bringing thousands of

2:13:19others into the political process. And

2:13:21be it further resolved that the city of

2:13:23Burlington hereby proclaims Tuesday,

2:13:25November 3rd, 2026 as Andrew Champagne

2:13:28Day and urges Burlingtononians to

2:13:30exercise their precious right to vote.

2:13:34That is the resolution. We thank you,

2:13:36Andrew, our brother, for your service to

2:13:38the city. I would welcome a motion to

2:13:40adopt that resolution.

2:13:41>> I would move the adoption of that and

2:13:43like the floor back after a second.

2:13:46>> And I'll second.

2:13:47>> Thank you, Councelor Bergman. Thank you,

2:13:48Councelor Shaker. Uh, councelor Bergman,

2:13:50the floor is yours. Um, I had the the

2:13:53the pleasure of working with Andrew at

2:13:56the polls from 2013 till I got elected,

2:14:01but I would sometimes work uh to help uh

2:14:05deal with things afterwards because my

2:14:07wife is the ward clerk. And we spent so

2:14:11many hours, you know, talking because

2:14:14that's what Andrew did. And I I

2:14:17personally loved it. I I I miss that we

2:14:20redistricted him out. I keep telling him

2:14:23I tried to stop that, but I failed. I

2:14:26fail a lot around here. Uh and um but I

2:14:31I I do I I miss that um I miss that that

2:14:35uh connection with Andrew. And if there

2:14:37was if there is one thing that is

2:14:41abiding in Andrew, it's that he cares

2:14:45deeply about the right to vote. And also

2:14:49I I have to say as somebody who uh he

2:14:53has supported and I'm not a member of

2:14:55his party. Um Andrew was able to to

2:14:59cross the political divides. Um and he

2:15:03did and um I I miss him and I'm sorry

2:15:08for what he's going through and I'm very

2:15:11very proud and happy to endorse this um

2:15:15this day for him. It's fitting that

2:15:16would be this election day and maybe

2:15:19Andrew it'll come out uh the way we need

2:15:22it to come out. Thank you.

2:15:24>> Thank you, Jane. Um as an aside, Gwen, I

2:15:27will mention I see you there. I will

2:15:28reopen public forum to turn to you when

2:15:30we're done with this item. Okay. Is

2:15:31there any other counselor that wishes to

2:15:32be recognized? Yes, Councelor Shakar.

2:15:35>> Thank you. Um, I just have to jump in as

2:15:38well and say that I think it's obvious

2:15:40that serving in elected office is uh a

2:15:44big decision and it's not an easy role

2:15:46and uh back a few years ago when I was

2:15:50considering leaning in more to to public

2:15:53service. Uh Andrew was one of the

2:15:56brightest lights in me sort of

2:15:58contemplating that move. um his light,

2:16:02his his commitment to civic engagement,

2:16:05his excitement about the political

2:16:07process, um his his belief in the power

2:16:10of voting is so admirable and so

2:16:13incredible. Um I have so many fond

2:16:15memories of uh doing some door knocking

2:16:19with Andrew and he was so funny and

2:16:22carrying like the hugest possible sign

2:16:25um and leading us all in parts of the

2:16:28neighborhood we hadn't yet gone to. And

2:16:30I also had the privilege of uh I I work

2:16:33at the Flynn and Andrew was there

2:16:34signing so many people up at our

2:16:36concerts for to vote. Um and so I've

2:16:39gotten a lot of Andrew time and uh it's

2:16:42been such an influence on on my

2:16:44perception of what it means to serve

2:16:46this community. So it's a real honor to

2:16:48to be a part of this resolution.

2:16:51>> Thank you, Councelor Shar. Is there any

2:16:53other counselor that would wish to be

2:16:54recognized on this? Otherwise, I would

2:16:56turn to the mayor.

2:16:58We'll go to councelor Grant and then

2:17:00Mayor if you don't mind I think we'll

2:17:01end with you. Okay. We'll go to

2:17:02councelor Grant and then counselor Sang

2:17:04and Carpenter.

2:17:08I think what I'd like to say about

2:17:10Andrew is that during this time of deep

2:17:13division in our city and on our council,

2:17:17I think he was a beacon for

2:17:20recognizing that it was important to

2:17:22have a citywide view to

2:17:27to represent

2:17:30our particular wards or districts,

2:17:35but to also know how our decisions will

2:17:40affect other people in different parts

2:17:41of the city.

2:17:43I appreciated

2:17:46that

2:17:48he respected my experience and expertise

2:17:52because that hasn't been easy as a woman

2:17:54of color serving.

2:17:58I appreciated that he recognized

2:18:03my care for my district

2:18:06and I loved his tenacity and sheer joy

2:18:11of registering people to vote.

2:18:17He'd come to Junth,

2:18:19he would register people to vote.

2:18:23He didn't judge people by their

2:18:25perceived backgrounds or political

2:18:28affiliations.

2:18:30Um I believe his number was very close

2:18:33to 2,000. I think at one point he was

2:18:35going for the Guinness Book of World

2:18:37Records. Uh just a real uh devotion to a

2:18:43right that we all have that is under

2:18:46attack and being taken away from some of

2:18:49us.

2:18:51Thank you.

2:18:52Thank you, Councelor Grant. We'll go to

2:18:53councelor Singh and then Carpenter.

2:18:56>> Um, thank you. I I want to recognize

2:18:58Andrew's uh tremendous service to this

2:19:01city. I I just want to share from a

2:19:03personal experience um when I sat for my

2:19:05first caucus. Um it was Andrew's big

2:19:09handshake

2:19:10uh afterwards that really meant a lot

2:19:13and his enthusiasm. Um, and it meant a

2:19:16lot to me when you're stepping up to

2:19:17serve to have somebody um that you

2:19:20barely know um really get behind you and

2:19:23congratulate you on your uh willingness

2:19:26to serve and he's just so he's been so

2:19:29committed to the city. Um so I'm glad

2:19:32we're recognizing him tonight.

2:19:36>> Thank you councelor Sang Councelor

2:19:37Carpenter and then Mcnite.

2:19:39>> Thanks. some I don't want to repeat what

2:19:40my colleagues have said but um a couple

2:19:44words that council grant used which was

2:19:47the joy and tenacity that uh Angel would

2:19:50bring when you approached him when he

2:19:52was with you. um he just always was fun

2:19:56to be with and convincing people to vote

2:19:59isn't always the most fun activity, but

2:20:02he surely would try and he just so

2:20:05valued um that right for all of us and

2:20:08it was so much fun to be with him even

2:20:10though I wasn't with him often and he

2:20:13surely surely is going to be missed by

2:20:14this city.

2:20:16>> Thank you, Councelor Carpenter.

2:20:17Councelor Mcnite,

2:20:21>> thank you. I'm so glad to be honoring

2:20:23Andrew tonight. Um, you know, I think as

2:20:26city councilors, one thing I find really

2:20:29interesting is our ability to really get

2:20:31into the nitty-gritty of how go local

2:20:34government works. It's not something I

2:20:36knew a lot about before I got here, but

2:20:38it's something um, you know, I've I've

2:20:41really learned learn enjoyed learning

2:20:43about. And one of the biggest pieces of

2:20:46that is just how many elections there

2:20:48actually are on the calendar. You know,

2:20:50most people think of November. Um, but

2:20:53obviously here in Vermont, we have town

2:20:55meeting day. There's primaries in

2:20:56August. And, um, I will admit earlier in

2:21:00my life, that's not something I spent

2:21:03much time thinking about. And so, I

2:21:05think, you know, we can all honor Andrew

2:21:07by going forward and really taking that

2:21:10right to vote seriously, not just in the

2:21:13big elections, but in the small

2:21:14elections, too. And you know, I'm

2:21:17reflecting on some of the dialogue we've

2:21:19heard here tonight. No matter where you

2:21:21stand on a particular issue, no matter

2:21:24if you feel represented by the people

2:21:26sitting in front of you or not, um, or

2:21:28if you disagree with each other, you can

2:21:31still show up in this country and in

2:21:33this city and in this state and vote and

2:21:36make your voice heard. And I think

2:21:38that's what Andrew wants everyone to do.

2:21:40And that's why he fought so hard to

2:21:42register so many folks to vote. Um, and

2:21:45so I just want to say thank you, Andrew.

2:21:48And also your joy, your humor, your

2:21:51tenacity, as others have said, has has

2:21:54just been a real shining light for those

2:21:57of us who are newer to this world, and

2:21:59we thank you for all of your experience

2:22:02and your mentorship about that.

2:22:05>> Thank you, counselor. Are there any

2:22:07other counselors that wish to be

2:22:08recognized on this item? Otherwise, I'll

2:22:10turn to the mayor.

2:22:13We go. We'll go councelor Newbieser and

2:22:15then are there any other counselors?

2:22:16Otherwise, we'll go councelor Newzer and

2:22:18then the mayor. Okay, great. Thank you.

2:22:22>> Um well, yeah, I just want to say I I

2:22:24appreciate this resolution. I um met

2:22:27Andrew in college and he started talking

2:22:29me up at a voter reg booth in the Davis

2:22:31Center and

2:22:34was talking about registering to vote,

2:22:35all this stuff. And I was kind of like,

2:22:36who is this guy? And then he started

2:22:38pitching me on like the local Democratic

2:22:40Party slate for city council. Um, and in

2:22:44the back of my head I was like, "This

2:22:45guy is barking up the wrong tree." Like,

2:22:47"What is going on?" But he was electric,

2:22:49so like you can't not talk to him. Um,

2:22:52and I just remember, you know, a few

2:22:54years in after getting more and more

2:22:55involved, he was sort of a consistent

2:22:58presence in the in the local political

2:23:01scene. And I don't know what it was. I

2:23:03was arguing with some some local

2:23:05Democrat when I was in college about

2:23:07something. And then I saw Andrew outside

2:23:10of Flatbreads over there near City Hall

2:23:12Park. and he just came up to me. He

2:23:15said, "Oh, like I I heard your, you

2:23:17know, you and so and so is not getting

2:23:19along. Like, let's just go have dinner.

2:23:20Flatbreads is right there. Like, I will

2:23:22invite them next week. What do you say?"

2:23:23And I was like, "Absolutely not,

2:23:25Andrew." Like, I am not going to dinner.

2:23:28Um,

2:23:30but you know, again, like he was, it

2:23:33says it in this resolution, he was sort

2:23:35of devoted to his political project. Um,

2:23:38he was really devoted to registering

2:23:40folks to vote. Um, and there was no need

2:23:43to him for him personally to be keeping

2:23:46tabs on like who I was grumpy with when

2:23:48I was a student organizer at UVM. Um,

2:23:53but he did and and he was always really

2:23:55personable and kind uh which is which is

2:23:59rare. So

2:24:02yeah, have just been really saddened to

2:24:04hear what he's going through and um

2:24:06appreciate folks bring this forward.

2:24:09Thanks.

2:24:10Thank you, Councelor Newzer. We'll turn

2:24:12now to the mayor and then turn to a

2:24:14vote.

2:24:16>> Thank you, President Travers. Andrew,

2:24:18it's rare when we have the opportunity

2:24:19to be able to recognize um the deep

2:24:22amount of love and service uh to a

2:24:25community by someone who has been such a

2:24:26leader. And I wanted to just reflect on

2:24:29the fact that 2,000 people being

2:24:31registered to vote is one of the biggest

2:24:33acts of service because of the state,

2:24:35especially given the state of our

2:24:36democracy right now. And that is such a

2:24:38legacy for which I hope you know that

2:24:40I'm proud of you of and I hope that you

2:24:41feel proud of because there's so many

2:24:43young people no matter who they who they

2:24:45were you were registering you were

2:24:47helping to facilitate their ability to

2:24:49exercise their voice here in the city of

2:24:50Burlington and we are better for it. You

2:24:53also brought so much joy. What people

2:24:55rarely know unless you work in this

2:24:56building is a lot of people get married

2:24:58in this building on a pretty regular

2:24:59basis and it frankly makes me so happy

2:25:01when you just walk out the door and

2:25:03there's people getting married um left

2:25:04and right. and he was a justice of the

2:25:06peace and he would often be here and he

2:25:08would ask if I was in the office to just

2:25:09come out and take a picture with the

2:25:11newly married couple which honestly

2:25:13brought so much joy to my day every

2:25:15single day. But what gets better than

2:25:16helping people who love each other uh no

2:25:18matter their identities being able to

2:25:20prevent you know create that unity and

2:25:23you brought joy to this community

2:25:24besides service and love of democracy.

2:25:27And the final thing I want to share is a

2:25:28personal story. Um a couple people have

2:25:30mentioned how you really reached across

2:25:32the aisle. Party did not matter to you.

2:25:34Uh, so when I won my election as mayor

2:25:37about three years ago now, um, at a very

2:25:39awkwardly late hour on my doorstep

2:25:41became a knock a knock at the door and

2:25:44there was Andrew standing next to Finn

2:25:46who owns Shunk Junk Teaks and they

2:25:48presented me, I don't know if people can

2:25:50see this, but Andrew, you know what I

2:25:52will be talking about, a bipartisan set

2:25:54of activist buttons and political

2:25:57buttons. Uh, and I had just won this

2:25:59role as mayor as the first outwoman or

2:26:01first woman and first out LGBTQ member

2:26:04of my community, this role in the

2:26:06history of the city. And you place my

2:26:07button right in the middle of this

2:26:09smores board of progressive and

2:26:11democratic and just social justice

2:26:13buttons. And if folks don't know Finn,

2:26:15Finn is is about as non non-government

2:26:18anarchist lefty as you can imagine. And

2:26:20the both of them were smiling ear to ear

2:26:22on my doorstep presenting this to me.

2:26:24And on the back of it, it reads, "Dear

2:26:26Mayor Emma, wishing you the best. We are

2:26:29so proud of you. Let's progress. We love

2:26:32this city. March 30th, 2024," which is

2:26:34the night before I was sworn in um as

2:26:37the mayor of Burlington. So, Andrew,

2:26:39thank you for that. This sits in my

2:26:40office um very proudly. It's probably in

2:26:42every Zoom uh image because I have it

2:26:45right behind my um my desk. And I really

2:26:48think that you are the truest example of

2:26:50both love of democracy and this city.

2:26:53and let your let you let your um your

2:26:56legacy really continue to guide us and

2:26:58inspire us to model a better and

2:27:00stronger Burlington going forward. So,

2:27:02thank you so much, Andrew.

2:27:05>> Thank you, mayor.

2:27:07Uh with that, I think we will now go to

2:27:09a vote on the resolution.

2:27:12Uh with gratitude to Andrew for his

2:27:15service to the city. All in favor of the

2:27:17motion, please say I.

2:27:18>> I.

2:27:19>> I.

2:27:20>> Any opposed? that carries unanimously.

2:27:23So, thank you, Andrew.

2:27:49All right.

2:27:52Now we'll return to our regularly

2:27:54scheduled programming. Uh the next item

2:27:57up on our agenda before Oh, sorry Gwen.

2:28:00I mentioned that I would come back to

2:28:02you. We when we called your name uh you

2:28:04weren't here at the moment, but I will

2:28:06in my role as chair go ahead and reopen

2:28:08public forum. So if we could just set

2:28:09the timer for Gwen to two minutes and

2:28:12please go ahead.

2:28:13>> Thank you. Um, I am coming to this

2:28:16council both as a business owner in

2:28:18Burlington, a business owner in Wooki,

2:28:20and a resident of Wooki. Uh, I think one

2:28:24of the constant rhetorics of this plan

2:28:27is that it's for the business owners.

2:28:29It's to save the city. As a business

2:28:31owner, I think the most damaging

2:28:33experience I've had over the past year

2:28:36is the assault of a Burlington police

2:28:38officer that put me out of work for

2:28:40months. I am still at limited capacity.

2:28:44I am still paying those medical bills. I

2:28:46am still waiting for the city of

2:28:48Burlington to help me pay those medical

2:28:50bills. I would make the argument that's

2:28:52a pretty damaging experience for a

2:28:54business. As someone who operates a a

2:28:57city of Burlington business, the

2:28:59houseless folks are not my concern. My

2:29:02concern is the experience of being in a

2:29:04police state. There are flock cameras

2:29:07all over the place. There are stadies,

2:29:09city police. Now we have csos and we are

2:29:12talking about uh allowing just rogue

2:29:16folk who feel like they have the right

2:29:20to enforce

2:29:22no trespass just to run around our city

2:29:24and say you know what you don't belong

2:29:26here. That is truly the most unhinged

2:29:29I have ever heard. We are

2:29:33witnessing right now what it looks like

2:29:34when people like that are set free. That

2:29:38is the rhetoric for ICE. That is what we

2:29:41are watching every single day. These

2:29:43untrained people who cannot wait to have

2:29:45a gun, cannot wait to wield their power

2:29:47against vulnerable individuals. And you

2:29:50are talking about perpetrating that

2:29:52exact scenario in our city. The

2:29:55absurdity of it is truly mind-boggling.

2:29:58And I do want to honor Andrew because I

2:30:03too know Andrew and love Andrew. I have

2:30:05worked literally probably over a

2:30:08thousand events in Burlington through

2:30:10Higher Ground and other event

2:30:11organizations. Andrew is always a

2:30:14friendly face. Andrew is always pushing

2:30:16for democracy. And if you're interested

2:30:19in democracy, I beg of you to heed the

2:30:22fact that I would say 90% or more of the

2:30:25folks who spoke tonight are not in favor

2:30:27of this show plan and care about

2:30:29their neighbors. Do better.

2:30:31>> Thank you.

2:30:33Um, I will also mention that I received

2:30:36an email here uh that we did have Sylvia

2:30:38Knight signed up online for public

2:30:40forum. Um, I did not see Sylvia's name

2:30:43online and and still do not, but Sylvia

2:30:45did email to say that uh they they were

2:30:48online and so if I do um find out which

2:30:51name Sylvia is under, I I would reserve

2:30:54the right to reopen public forum at that

2:30:55point in time, but just do not see

2:30:57Sylvia on at the moment. Um so with that

2:31:00we will now turn to committee reports.

2:31:02The fourth item on our agenda. Is there

2:31:04any counselor with a committee report?

2:31:09>> Councelor Burkeman.

2:31:10>> Yes. Ordinance committee is meeting this

2:31:14Wednesday. Let me just double check

2:31:16that.

2:31:19this Wednesday at uh 4 o'clock in a

2:31:22special meeting um in the uh the Busher

2:31:26conference room to um address the emoto

2:31:30uh question with the hope of and the

2:31:33real focus on ordinance changes. We're

2:31:36hoping that we will get from departments

2:31:39uh materials. I have not seen them yet

2:31:42and so we will see just how fruitful

2:31:45that will be. But uh we have been taking

2:31:47this up and we are absolutely committed

2:31:50to looking at the laws that uh deal with

2:31:54emotos and the problems that address you

2:31:56know that the our laws can address and

2:31:59try to do that and 4:00 Busher um

2:32:03conference room downstairs on the

2:32:05special ordinance committee meeting.

2:32:07Thank you.

2:32:08>> Thank you councelor Bergman, Council

2:32:11Mcnite and then councelor Barlo.

2:32:14>> Thank you. We have a charter change

2:32:16committee meeting coming up on November

2:32:1819th at noon and uh tenatively scheduled

2:32:22for the Busher room. We have been making

2:32:25our way through um a discussion on our

2:32:28policies regarding boards and

2:32:30commissions appointments and in addition

2:32:33to that um we will be taking up the

2:32:37items that are on the agenda later on

2:32:39today and uh agenda forthcoming. Thank

2:32:43you. Thank you, Council Mcnite. We'll go

2:32:45to Council Barlo.

2:32:47>> Uh, yes. Thank you. Um, the

2:32:49Transportation, Energy, and Utilities

2:32:50Committee will be meeting tomorrow,

2:32:53Tuesday, October 27th at 5:30, and we'll

2:32:56be meeting down at 6:45 Pine Street. Um,

2:32:59a couple things on our agenda are the a

2:33:02discussion around the GMT micromobility

2:33:04and ADA study. Um, and we may also be

2:33:08reviewing, although it hasn't been

2:33:10posted yet, uh, draft policy on

2:33:12residential recycling.

2:33:16>> Thank you.

2:33:16>> Thank you, Councelor Barlo. Councelor

2:33:18Singh, and then councilors Litwin and

2:33:20Sh.

2:33:20>> Yeah, I just wanted to flag for folks

2:33:22that the public safety committee usually

2:33:24meets on the fourth Thursday of every

2:33:25month, but of course, next month is

2:33:27Thanksgiving. So, we'll have a a

2:33:29different meeting time, which would be

2:33:30no November 19th at 5:30. and I'll be

2:33:34sure to make that known again uh at our

2:33:37next council meeting.

2:33:39>> Thank you. Councelor Litwin and then

2:33:42Shakar. Thanks very much. Um I am very

2:33:47proud of the CDNR committee, community

2:33:50development, neighborhood

2:33:52revitalization. Um we took many meetings

2:33:56over the course of the summer fall um to

2:33:59move through some items that we already

2:34:01had going on but also sort of got

2:34:03integrated into Burlington forward. Um,

2:34:06we revisited the syringe service um,

2:34:09program report that um, councelor Shaker

2:34:12and I issued in the prior uh, council

2:34:14year um, and updated it um, through what

2:34:19I thought was a very collaborative

2:34:20process and a very transparent and open

2:34:23process um, with both members of the

2:34:25public, stakeholders

2:34:28um, and all counselors um, present

2:34:31seemed to uh, work very positively. ly

2:34:35together. Um it's not an easy topic to

2:34:39talk about. Um and I want to thank um

2:34:42particularly uh councelor Shakar for

2:34:45going through all this with me again. um

2:34:48but also um councelor Sanchez Parkinson

2:34:51who I thought and I very much

2:34:54appreciated engaged very um

2:34:57collaboratively with me and provided

2:35:00comments that we were able to work

2:35:01through and we had positive phone calls

2:35:05and so I just really want to thank her

2:35:07and um appreciate her presence um on the

2:35:10committee and the extra work that she

2:35:12put in. Um, I did forward the report

2:35:15last week to um, President Traverse.

2:35:18Everything in red is sort of where we

2:35:21landed holistically. Um, and I realized

2:35:26I I just sent an email a moment ago

2:35:28asking if it could be attached to um,

2:35:31civic clerk if anybody wants to to read

2:35:34that. Um, that might have been a small

2:35:36oversight. Um, but we are completed with

2:35:40that work and we will continue to

2:35:42revisit graffiti which is more

2:35:44complicated than I had anticipated. Um,

2:35:48and I look forward to uh meeting again

2:35:50with my counselors and to give everyone

2:35:52a break including councelor Nuber who

2:35:55will be welcoming a child very soon and

2:35:58we're very um happy for him and his

2:36:01family. Um, our staff also took extra

2:36:04meetings. Our city staff took extra

2:36:06meetings to support these. So, we will

2:36:08be not meeting we will not be meeting in

2:36:10November and our next meeting will be in

2:36:12mid December, which I believe is always

2:36:14the third Wednesday. So, feel free to

2:36:16reach out to any of us in advance um

2:36:19between now and then uh one-on-one or in

2:36:22an email. Thanks.

2:36:24>> Thank you, Councelor Litwin. Councelor

2:36:26Shakar.

2:36:27>> Thank you, President Travers. Um just a

2:36:29quick update from the parks arts and

2:36:31culture committee or pack um last

2:36:35Tuesday I believe we met and um voted

2:36:39out of committee a report that um that

2:36:42came out of our uh budgeting process

2:36:44back in June and was also alluded to in

2:36:47the draft of Burlington Forward

2:36:49regarding um ways to make it easier for

2:36:53outside groups, businesses, community

2:36:55members, artists to activate our public

2:36:57spaces. is um to really, you know, try

2:37:01to increase and continue to to celebrate

2:37:04the vibrancy of our city. So, we've got

2:37:06it's item number 11 in the consent

2:37:08agenda on this evening's for this

2:37:10evening's meeting. We've got some really

2:37:13uh great recommendations in here and I

2:37:15want to say there was a lot of

2:37:16collaboration with city staff who've

2:37:18been doing a lot of internal work uh

2:37:20regarding uh our programming and events

2:37:22and we're very engaged with PAC over a

2:37:25series of of meetings at least three or

2:37:27four meetings to land on this report.

2:37:30Um, and it has a lot of recommendations

2:37:32around ways to uh really lean into an

2:37:35amazing new tool called Open Gov that

2:37:37we're now using as a one-stop place to

2:37:40submit uh event inquiries and get

2:37:42connected to all the different

2:37:44permitting that you need. Um, ways to

2:37:46sort of shepherd events through once

2:37:49they're in open gov to make sure that

2:37:50the groups that are organizing them are

2:37:52fully supported and and have access to

2:37:54all the city staff and departments that

2:37:56they need. um some interesting flags

2:37:59that I think PAC is going to dive deeper

2:38:01in around um street art process around

2:38:04street artists specifically as well as

2:38:06some um food vendors uh and pedaling

2:38:10licenses that came up as interesting

2:38:12discussions worth continuing that PAC

2:38:14will continue to dive into and then also

2:38:16ways to to eliminate the the barrier of

2:38:19insurance for smaller groups for whom

2:38:21having to purchase insurance for their

2:38:23events can be a barrier. So there's some

2:38:25exciting stuff in here. Uh, it felt

2:38:27really collaborative and feels like a

2:38:29great step forward. So, take a look if

2:38:31you're so inclined.

2:38:34>> Thank you, councelor Shakar. Councelor

2:38:36Sanchez Parkinson.

2:38:38>> Thank you. I just wanted to give a quick

2:38:39update related to the racial equity,

2:38:41inclusion, and belonging um council

2:38:44committee. We had a meeting uh last

2:38:46week, October 20th, where I presented on

2:38:50a summary around um efforts related to

2:38:54youth support and investments from our

2:38:57city. I have been able to connect with a

2:38:59number of departments that are focused

2:39:02on supporting youth across our city and

2:39:05also community partners. Um and we had

2:39:08just a really great discussion uh around

2:39:11three core areas that are evolving um of

2:39:13what could become a strategy related to

2:39:17youth workforce development, civic

2:39:19engagement, uh how to ensure that youth

2:39:22voices are included in programs and

2:39:24policym um and one evolving one is

2:39:28related to well-being, uh mental health

2:39:30and cultural empowerment. And so, um,

2:39:33um, thank you for everyone who's been

2:39:35engaged throughout that process so far.

2:39:38Um, I intend to devote the next two

2:39:41meetings, uh, to welcome folks to

2:39:43specifically speak about the work that

2:39:45is happening across the city and across

2:39:47our community. So, our next two meetings

2:39:49will be November 17th and December 15th.

2:39:52Um, if you're interested in engaging in

2:39:54this conversation, please feel free to

2:39:56email me. I am keeping everyone updated

2:39:59even if you can't make meetings um over

2:40:01email. So if I get your contact

2:40:03information, I'll be sure to include you

2:40:05on that listerve. Thank you.

2:40:08>> Thank you, Councelor Sanchez Parkinson.

2:40:10Is there any other counselor with a

2:40:11committee report?

2:40:14All right. Uh we'll turn then now to the

2:40:17consent agenda. Is there a motion on our

2:40:19consent agenda?

2:40:21>> Motion to adopt the consent agenda as

2:40:24listed.

2:40:26and civic clerk.

2:40:27>> Thank you, councelor Lwin. Is there a

2:40:29second?

2:40:30>> Second.

2:40:30>> Thank you, councelor Grant. Any

2:40:31discussion on this item?

2:40:34>> All in favor then, please say I.

2:40:35>> I.

2:40:36>> I.

2:40:37>> Any opposed? That carries unanimously.

2:40:40That brings us now back to our

2:40:41deliberative agenda. We did item 6.1

2:40:44before. So, we'll turn to item 6.2,

2:40:46which is a special event indoor

2:40:48entertainment permit application.

2:40:50Councelor Broadick, could I turn to you

2:40:51for a motion on this item?

2:40:56Yes, I'm just uh pulling it up. Um

2:41:04I Well,

2:41:09I move to approve the one-day only

2:41:11special event indoor entertainment

2:41:13permit application for Muddy Waters, 184

2:41:15Main Street, October 31st, 2026, 10 p.m.

2:41:20to 2 a.m.

2:41:21>> Thank you. Is there a second? Second.

2:41:24>> Thank you, Councelor Grant. Uh, is there

2:41:27any discussion?

2:41:28All in favor, then please say I.

2:41:30>> I.

2:41:30>> I.

2:41:31>> Any opposed? That is unanimous. That

2:41:34takes us now to item 6.3, the

2:41:36appointment of a new assistant city

2:41:38attorney, Khloe Vickers. And attorney

2:41:41Vickers, we appreciate your patience in

2:41:43getting to this item. And city attorney

2:41:44Brown uh would welcome your introducing

2:41:48the nominee for appointment. I believe

2:41:51I'm going to begin. Oh, great.

2:41:53>> As we talk. Yep. And then then I'll pass

2:41:55it over to our city attorney. And I just

2:41:57want to acknowledge that we have our

2:41:59full city attorney's office online

2:42:01showing great support and colleagues

2:42:03right out of the gate. So I really

2:42:04appreciate you all being online here and

2:42:06tuning in. And I'm pleased to bring

2:42:08forward to the city council tonight for

2:42:10your consideration the appointment of

2:42:12Khloe Victors who it will be um filling

2:42:16the position of one of our assistant

2:42:17city attorney positions uh in our city

2:42:20attorney's office. Just a little bit in

2:42:22terms of background about Khloe and then

2:42:24I'll pass it over to our city attorney

2:42:25Jessica Brown to add a little bit more.

2:42:27Um our city attorney Victors um

2:42:30currently works at as an associate

2:42:32attorney at Slay Law in St. Johnsbury,

2:42:35Vermont, where she's practiced law for

2:42:36the last six years. She has uh ample

2:42:40ample experience on criminal matters in

2:42:42both state and federal courts as well as

2:42:44the participating in some of the

2:42:46plaintiff side civil litigation. What

2:42:48actually makes me most excited is her um

2:42:51her sort of smorges board of experiences

2:42:54um with government as well as other

2:42:55kinds of practice of law in Colorado and

2:42:58Massachusetts and with the federal

2:42:59government. To me, this shows great

2:43:01depth and curiosity and being able to be

2:43:03the kind of city attorney you need to be

2:43:05in a municipality like Burlington, where

2:43:07you're going to become the expert on

2:43:08about 502 different items when you

2:43:11become uh part of our small but really

2:43:13nimble and smart team. And when I met

2:43:16with uh Attorney Victor's uh when I had

2:43:19a chance to meet with her before

2:43:20bringing her confirm her her her

2:43:22appointment forward for confirmation,

2:43:24she highlighted um how be being drawn to

2:43:27municipal work in particular because it

2:43:29g it gives her an opportunity to have

2:43:31such more impact on the world and on the

2:43:33community. Uh that really stood out for

2:43:35me because community is where meaningful

2:43:37change happens and she holds that ethos

2:43:40already which will fit right well in

2:43:41with my administration and with the city

2:43:43attorney team. She's also a proud UVM

2:43:46graduate and loves Burlington. And I'm

2:43:48so glad we have this opportunity to

2:43:49bring yet another UVM grad into the city

2:43:52and to be able to work diligently on

2:43:53behalf of residents here in the city.

2:43:56So, I hope I didn't steal too much of

2:43:57the city attorney's thunder, but I'm

2:43:58going to pass it over to city attorney

2:44:00Brown to uh maybe highlight a little bit

2:44:02more about our candidate.

2:44:03>> Thank you, Mayor. Um, and I am also very

2:44:08pleased to introduce uh to you

2:44:10councilors um attorney Khloe Vickers

2:44:15as a candidate for our vacant assistant

2:44:19city attorney position. Um, I will touch

2:44:22on a couple of things that the mayor has

2:44:24already spoken to and then add a little

2:44:26bit more. So, Attorney Vickers has been

2:44:29practicing law for the past seven years,

2:44:31most recently in a uh primarily criminal

2:44:35defense practice, but also a practice

2:44:38that took on some pliff side civil

2:44:40litigation. Prior to her current job,

2:44:43Attorney Vickers was an associate at a

2:44:45law firm in Colorado, where she worked

2:44:47in the government contracts department.

2:44:50Additionally,

2:44:52Attorney Brookers has experience working

2:44:54on both federal and state government

2:44:56policy, regulation, enforcement, and

2:44:59compliance matters through a variety of

2:45:02internships, clerkships, and

2:45:03fellowships.

2:45:05After an initial interview with me and

2:45:09attorneys Sturdivant, Mlanahan, and

2:45:12Wood, who you see on uh the team screen,

2:45:16um

2:45:19attorney Vickers was interviewed by a

2:45:20panel of city staff that included DPI

2:45:23Director Bill Ward, water resources

2:45:25director Megan Moyer, chief of staff,

2:45:28excuse me, chief of staff Lisa Gerlac,

2:45:31and DFA Director of Budget and Strategic

2:45:34Planning Ashley Parker. During her

2:45:37interviews, Attorney Vickers discussed

2:45:39her research, writing, and oral advocacy

2:45:41skills, including researching areas of

2:45:44law that were new to her to both gain ex

2:45:46expertise and to make creative legal

2:45:49arguments in an effort to obtain novel

2:45:51legal decisions. Attorney Vickers talked

2:45:54about her experience working and

2:45:55collaborating with external partners,

2:45:58her experience collecting and analyzing

2:46:00data to inform and support her work, and

2:46:03even her experience supervising an

2:46:06employee through the law office study

2:46:08program to successful state bar passage.

2:46:12The members of the interview panel

2:46:14unanimously supported making an offer to

2:46:17hire Khloe Vickers.

2:46:20I am confident that attorney Vickers

2:46:23will bring valuable directly applicable

2:46:26experience to the work that she will do

2:46:28to support departments and elected city

2:46:30leadership with all of the city's

2:46:32contract policy and litigation needs. Um

2:46:36I also spoke with multiple references

2:46:39some of whom have worked alongside

2:46:41attorney vicers as colleagues and

2:46:43notably some of whom have worked as

2:46:44opposing counsel against attorney

2:46:46vicers. They all uniformly described

2:46:49attorney vicers as respectful, ethical,

2:46:51smart, thorough, and hardworking. And to

2:46:54quote one of the references to whom I

2:46:56spoke, "You will not regret hiring Khloe

2:47:00Vickers." Thank you.

2:47:05>> Thank you, Mayor Mulaney Stannic, City

2:47:07Attorney Brown, City Council.

2:47:09>> Why don't you pull the mic just a little

2:47:10bit closer? Yep. You'll get very used to

2:47:12this very soon.

2:47:14uh city councilors, Burlington residents

2:47:16for affording me a moment to express my

2:47:18gratitude for this opportunity. I am so

2:47:21grateful for the opportunity to join a

2:47:24team that is dedicated to serving the

2:47:25city. I do not take this responsibility

2:47:28attendant to this role lightly and I am

2:47:31eager to contribute to the work that

2:47:32results in the exceptionalism and the

2:47:35limitless potential of the city as its

2:47:37newest hopefully assistant city

2:47:39attorney. Thank you all so much for your

2:47:41time.

2:47:45Thank you very much, Attorney Vickers.

2:47:46Attorney Brown, thank you, mayor, for

2:47:47bringing this candidate forward. The

2:47:50recommended action is to approve the

2:47:52appointment of Khloe Vickers, Esquire as

2:47:55assistant city attorney. Is there a

2:47:57motion to that end?

2:47:59>> Thank you, council.

2:48:00>> Just briefly,

2:48:01>> yes,

2:48:02>> uh, may I ask for a second and then I'll

2:48:05turn back to you? Yes. Okay. Is there a

2:48:07second?

2:48:08>> Thank you, councelor Carpenter. Uh, so,

2:48:10Councelor Bourbon, yes, we'll turn back

2:48:11to you. I just want to say having looked

2:48:14um at your resume that um it's uh it

2:48:19it's really nice to see that you're

2:48:22you've been a judicial clerk. I served

2:48:25in the city attorney's office for 20

2:48:26years. I think everybody around here

2:48:28gets sick of hearing that totally,

2:48:30especially city attorney Brown. But um

2:48:34uh you know coming in with judicial

2:48:37clerk um experience is actually really

2:48:40important given the quasi judicial

2:48:42hearings that we um set up and then also

2:48:44all of the tensions that go with you

2:48:47know depending on where you're um who

2:48:51you're representing in in that sitting.

2:48:53Uh you will see in our health ordinances

2:48:56a massive ordinance on urban

2:48:59agriculture.

2:49:01I wrote that I see that uh you uh have

2:49:04experience in drafting animal welfare

2:49:07legislation. Um drafting legislation is

2:49:11uh is good hard and um having experience

2:49:15to do it is going to be really helpful

2:49:18to us. So um and there's a host of other

2:49:22practical things not the least of least

2:49:24of which is contract dispute litigation.

2:49:28So, um, this is a great job and if

2:49:30you're lucky enough to make it to 20

2:49:34years, you get a good pension and, uh, I

2:49:37I I look forward to working with you.

2:49:40>> Thank you. Me as well.

2:49:42>> Thank you, councelor Bergman. Is there

2:49:43any other counselor that wishes to be

2:49:44recognized? Yep. Councelor Litwin.

2:49:47>> Thank you. I just wanted to welcome you

2:49:49as well. Um and to say that I in review

2:49:53of your um resume in advance of the

2:49:57meeting, I felt confident that um the

2:50:00folks who were interviewing you uh found

2:50:02somebody with a real diverse breath of

2:50:05experience, which is really helpful um

2:50:08in a as the mayor said, a small uh but

2:50:11smart team. Um and we have desperately

2:50:15needed uh someone in your role for a

2:50:18while. Um, and I particularly appreciate

2:50:20your experience with government

2:50:22contracts as well, where I think that is

2:50:24a bulk um, a bulk of the work for sure.

2:50:28Um, and I appreciate the, uh,

2:50:31hardworking nature that you are

2:50:34described as and tenacious, I think, um,

2:50:37and professional. So, I see that here

2:50:39tonight as well, and I welcome you and I

2:50:41look forward to voting for you. Thank

2:50:42you.

2:50:43>> Thank you.

2:50:44>> Thank you, councelor Litwin. Any other

2:50:46council wish to be recognized on this

2:50:48item?

2:50:51All right, seeing none, then we'll go to

2:50:53a vote on Attorney Vicer's appointment.

2:50:56All in favor, please say I.

2:50:57>> I.

2:50:58>> I. Any opposed? That carries

2:51:00unanimously. So, congratulations,

2:51:02Attorney Victor.

2:51:13For the record, we anticipate attorney

2:51:15vicers will start on November 16th.

2:51:19>> Great.

2:51:19>> Thank you all so much.

2:51:21>> Thank you.

2:51:24All right, that brings us now to item

2:51:256.4, the proposed neighborhood plan for

2:51:28Plan BTV New North End. To that end, we

2:51:31have from planning department Charles

2:51:34Dillard and Sarah Morgan. and we'll give

2:51:36them an opportunity here to come to the

2:51:38table.

2:51:43Councelor Litwin, as they are coming to

2:51:45the table, I want to confirm you had

2:51:46mentioned an amended recommended action.

2:51:48Have you circulated that to the full

2:51:50council?

2:51:50>> I did. Um, you should have two emails

2:51:53from me in your mailbox. Um, and the

2:51:55rest of the council should have one as

2:51:57well.

2:51:57>> Okay.

2:51:58>> As well as Lori.

2:51:59>> Okay. I I I just wanted to note for the

2:52:01record that councelor Litwin had

2:52:02circulated a slightly amended

2:52:04recommended action here that should be

2:52:06in the full council's inboxes and uh

2:52:09director Dillard, my understanding is

2:52:11that uh you uh will have a presentation

2:52:15here this evening and then when the

2:52:16presentation is complete we'll turn to

2:52:18councelor Litwin for a motion on the

2:52:20item.

2:52:21So whenever you're ready we'll turn the

2:52:23floor to you.

2:52:27>> Thank you. Let me just try and figure

2:52:28out how to get this full screen.

2:52:34Okay. Um

2:52:37here we are. Uh it's it's good to be

2:52:40here. It's been a long road, not just

2:52:43for us. Uh we started this planning

2:52:47effort in November of 2024, but actually

2:52:51this project was initially funded back

2:52:53in fiscal year 22 before Sarah and I

2:52:57were even here at the city. Um I just

2:53:01first want to say primarily thanks to

2:53:04Sarah. Sarah managed this project. Um it

2:53:08was I think probably the biggest

2:53:11planning project she had managed here in

2:53:13Burlington. She did a great job. Um

2:53:16she's doing a great job uh carrying it

2:53:18over the finish line. Um I also want to

2:53:21thank our colleagues at the city and the

2:53:24Chittnik County Regional Planning

2:53:26Commission uh especially Kate McCarthy

2:53:28and uh Maya Balasa who were our partners

2:53:32and CCRPC for funding this project.

2:53:36Um so why plan the new north end? Um

2:53:41this plan has been called for for many

2:53:43many years even before the CCRPC funded

2:53:46in fisc 22. I'm sure councelor Barlo and

2:53:48Carpenter

2:53:50have some good stories about it. Um but

2:53:53as far as the neighborhood goes um this

2:53:56is a large geographic part of the city.

2:53:59It represents a significant portion of

2:54:01the city's population and it has never

2:54:04really had a comprehensive plan for the

2:54:07future. Uh and so this is to this plan

2:54:09will guide the next two decades of

2:54:11evolution uh in the new north end. It's

2:54:14not just about growth. Growth was a big

2:54:16part of this. But this is also about

2:54:19evolving the community uh and the

2:54:21neighborhood to be a more resilient,

2:54:24prosperous,

2:54:25just, equitable place in Burlington.

2:54:30Uh the new north end is well positioned.

2:54:32We have a bit more information on some

2:54:33of the sort of capacity in terms of

2:54:35infrastructure. So I I will save that

2:54:38for later. Housing um the city's housing

2:54:41target did come out uh when we were

2:54:43doing this plan. And so we knew that we

2:54:45needed to try and determine what the

2:54:48capacity of the new north end might be

2:54:50in terms of new housing. Sprawl repair.

2:54:52This is a term that we use in planning

2:54:55really to describe and address how you

2:54:58can evolve communities like the New

2:55:00North End um that are across the country

2:55:02that were developed uh with the car

2:55:04being the primary mode of

2:55:05transportation. Um I I will save some

2:55:10comments on cars. I don't I want to make

2:55:12sure that everybody is aware and that

2:55:15this plan still leaves a place for cars

2:55:17in the future of the new north end

2:55:19proximity. Um, this plan really is based

2:55:24in a lot of feedback that we heard from

2:55:26folks young and old. Um, stating that

2:55:30there's a strong demand to move around

2:55:31the New North End um, and a less car

2:55:35reliant way and to be able to meet their

2:55:37neighbors and do their um, meet their

2:55:40daily needs within a proximity of of

2:55:42where they live.

2:55:44Um, again, we've been at this for almost

2:55:48two years. We've talked to over 300 uh

2:55:51residents uh including well in addition

2:55:54to some tourists we know who we met at

2:55:57Beach Bites um uh and many others not

2:56:00just new northern residents folks who

2:56:02live across the city of Burlington and

2:56:04in our region. This is just a snapshot.

2:56:06I won't pause here too long, but do just

2:56:09want to say that um we

2:56:13intentionally um tried to engage

2:56:17equitably across the neighborhood. And I

2:56:19really want to pause here to say thank

2:56:21you to our advisory committee and and

2:56:23several commissioner uh counselors

2:56:25rather here and others who have spoken

2:56:27tonight actually who recommended members

2:56:29for our advisory committee. That

2:56:31committee met several times over the

2:56:33course of the planning process and were

2:56:34extremely helpful. um for us as

2:56:37resources.

2:56:40This is the vision statement here in

2:56:42this pink text. So this was developed

2:56:43with the advisory committee uh and based

2:56:46on feedback that we had received from

2:56:48the community. Uh I will read it. New

2:56:51North residents envision their

2:56:52neighborhood growing to become a

2:56:54well-connected, inclusive, and vibrant

2:56:57community that balances growth with

2:56:59affordability, sustainability, and

2:57:01fosters a strong sense of place. These

2:57:04are the guiding principles here. A lot

2:57:06of what you're going to see in this plan

2:57:07addresses these principles. Um, but I

2:57:10think the sort of triple bottom line

2:57:12here of economic vibrancy and dynamism,

2:57:16uh, climate resilience,

2:57:18um, and

2:57:21equitable communities and a fair

2:57:24community is really what is the

2:57:26foundation for this plan.

2:57:29Uh the plan itself has three

2:57:31interconnected frameworks which are

2:57:33urban design, multimodal transportation

2:57:36and placemaking. These all work together

2:57:39many times in one place uh to implement

2:57:43the vision uh that is laid out uh in the

2:57:46plan.

2:57:48Uh this is the first map you're seeing.

2:57:50There's going to be several sort of

2:57:52iterations of this map. This one sort of

2:57:55ties it all together. And you see here

2:57:57some pink circles and these are focus

2:57:59areas that are really the um areas that

2:58:02receive the greatest amount of attention

2:58:04in terms of development capacity and and

2:58:06imagining what a new mixed juice new

2:58:08north end might look like. Uh we've got

2:58:11several um thicknesses of blue lines. So

2:58:14these are new and existing and

2:58:16accentuated transportation corridors in

2:58:19uh the new north end. You've got yellow

2:58:21um which corresponds to you know

2:58:24proximity and placemaking and new places

2:58:26to gather in the new north end.

2:58:32Just a few other key takeaways um from

2:58:37the date that we put out the first draft

2:58:39of this plan. This plan has proposed

2:58:42more not less open space for the public.

2:58:45It has proposed a greater variety of

2:58:48public gathering spaces to activate and

2:58:50augment the largely passive design of

2:58:52the new earth ends parks. Uh it proposes

2:58:56more not less green storm water

2:58:58infrastructure.

2:59:00Um, it envisions small commercial uses

2:59:02along the greenway and in some parks

2:59:05just like those in several of

2:59:06Burlington's parks today, including Lety

2:59:09and the New North End, uh, North Beach,

2:59:11City Hall Park, Waterfront Park, and the

2:59:13Greenway.

2:59:15Um the plan has um envisioned and

2:59:21discussed uh ownership as a desirable

2:59:24housing type but also alternative

2:59:26housing models like cooperatives, land

2:59:28trust, co-ousing and others. Um and

2:59:31finally it envisions a community where

2:59:34renters and owners are neighbors.

2:59:39Um the focus areas again those three. So

2:59:43they are the uh what is today the North

2:59:46Avalian Church, the Ethan Island

2:59:48Shopping Center and a corridor along

2:59:50North Avenue adjacent to and near

2:59:53Platsburg Avenue.

2:59:55These are nodes of activity that usually

2:59:59combine housing,

3:00:01um, places for gathering, so open

3:00:04spaces, some public, some private,

3:00:06maybe, uh, businesses of all types and

3:00:09services to meet the daily needs of New

3:00:11Northern residents.

3:00:14Um, again, we heard time and again, uh,

3:00:17from all kinds of New North Enders that

3:00:19they wanted more places, uh, to gather

3:00:22with their neighbors. And so these focus

3:00:24areas envision what that might look like

3:00:26in the new north end. They are all

3:00:28private land only. Um I think we all

3:00:31know uh notably there were some concepts

3:00:34that explored

3:00:35um public land including parks as focus

3:00:38areas that has been removed. Um those

3:00:41have been removed for several months

3:00:42now. Um happy to take any questions on

3:00:45that as we advance.

3:00:48>> Yeah, sure. Um I'll also note that the

3:00:50um two of the three focus areas were

3:00:53identified in plan BTV uh 2019 as areas

3:00:57for future growth as well specifically

3:00:58the Platsburg AB North A intersection as

3:01:02well as the shopping center too. So

3:01:04definitely grounded in past plans as

3:01:06well.

3:01:07>> Thank you Sarah. And I will also add

3:01:09that the ETH knowledge shopping center

3:01:11and the adjacent area is also a village

3:01:14center on the regional future land use

3:01:17map which does confer some economic

3:01:19development benefits uh from the state.

3:01:22Um they all share a few key

3:01:23characteristics. Capacity for

3:01:25development proximity opportunity and

3:01:27connectivity.

3:01:30The new north end has significantly more

3:01:32wastewater capacity than all other parts

3:01:34of Burlington. Uh we knew that we worked

3:01:37closely with our water resources

3:01:39colleagues to understand this. Um we

3:01:42understand the new north end as you know

3:01:45as such to be a place where growth can

3:01:48occur. Uh this is the wastewater

3:01:51treatment plant capacity. Yes, some

3:01:53pipes will have to be upsized to

3:01:55accommodate some growth but the

3:01:57treatment plant itself does have many

3:01:58many years of growth uh left in it. We

3:02:02did model the uh wastewater output of

3:02:05all of the focus areas. So those three

3:02:07areas which combined I want to say were

3:02:10uh close to a thousand units and that

3:02:13increased uh that actually only added

3:02:15about 5% to the utilization rate. So in

3:02:20theory, although the plan does not

3:02:22envision many many thousands of units,

3:02:24the wastewater treatment plan capacity

3:02:26is there in the new north end to

3:02:28accommodate a significant portion of the

3:02:30city's growth. Um there was a comment

3:02:33earlier about the Ajavetic uh cemetery

3:02:36on North Avenue. Just want to address

3:02:38that. Um the the plan includes a

3:02:43softside analysis. This is a standard

3:02:45approach in planning. It's usually the

3:02:47sort of first level analysis to

3:02:49determine any properties that might have

3:02:51some development capacity. It's a blunt

3:02:53instrument. It is not a sort of surgical

3:02:56tool. Um the criteria in that soft site

3:03:00analysis are here on the left. So things

3:03:02like low lot covers going to be things

3:03:04like parking lots, undeveloped lots, uh

3:03:08sites with a low building to land value

3:03:11ratio, sites that have not been sold in

3:03:14a long time, or vacant land. We use the

3:03:17assessor's data in this off-site

3:03:19analysis and the cemetery is labeled as

3:03:23exempt land. Um, and therefore, you

3:03:27know, nothing was flagged for us. Of

3:03:30course, when we did get the results of

3:03:32the study, we did highlight um several

3:03:35cemeteries for the consultants. Um, this

3:03:38one was a bit smaller. This property was

3:03:40never considered as a development site.

3:03:43You can see there's many thousands of

3:03:45parcels in the new north end and it was

3:03:47fairly obvious, you know, looking at the

3:03:49softside analysis, doing community

3:03:52engagement, speaking to property owners,

3:03:55including the properties that Sarah just

3:03:56mentioned that have been in the city's

3:03:59uh sort of growth framework for many

3:04:00years now, that a cemetery, big or

3:04:04small, was never going to be a

3:04:06development site. So, I just want to

3:04:07make sure folks in the public know that

3:04:09we uh do not and would not ever consider

3:04:14a cemetery or any other uh religious

3:04:17site to be a development site unless

3:04:20that property owner wanted it to be. Um

3:04:23and North Avalanche Church is one um

3:04:26where we do believe there is some

3:04:28development capacity.

3:04:31The active mobility network for this

3:04:34going to move to transportation. This is

3:04:35really about creating a safe,

3:04:37comfortable, convenient, and

3:04:38ecologically sustainable and resilient

3:04:41uh way to move around the new north end.

3:04:43You've got uh in this map um North

3:04:47Avenue receiving a significant redesign

3:04:50and getting new separated uh bike uh ped

3:04:54facilities. Um we have an interim

3:04:57approach that might be more

3:04:58implementable

3:05:00uh in the short term um and a long-term

3:05:03approach. Um there are also several

3:05:08neighborhood greenways. These streets

3:05:10that are in shaded yellow. These are

3:05:12streets that are, you know, envisioned

3:05:14to be slow streets. There's not

3:05:16necessarily new separated

3:05:18infrastructure, but there's streets

3:05:20where there is wayfinding and signage

3:05:22and uh low traffic speeds to really um

3:05:27let people know, cyclists, pedestrians,

3:05:29drivers, that those are streets where um

3:05:31it's safe and comfortable to bike. Um we

3:05:35thought a lot about uh the New North

3:05:37schools here. We've got uh two

3:05:39elementary schools, a middle school, and

3:05:41the New North End, and the high school

3:05:43at the southern end. And so we knew um

3:05:45that there's a lot of demand uh for kids

3:05:49to be biking, walking to school and we

3:05:52wanted to make that a reality and we

3:05:54wanted to make even mobility and

3:05:56dependence a reality for the youth in

3:05:58the new north end.

3:06:00>> Yeah. One thing I do want to add to that

3:06:04uh previous one is also I think if

3:06:06you'll recall almost a year ago with the

3:06:07open space plan you'll see uh really

3:06:10this if you could overlay this with the

3:06:12open space plants ecological corridors.

3:06:14It was really important that we bring up

3:06:16and kind of discuss more the idea of how

3:06:19transportation and um transport

3:06:22transportation infrastructure especially

3:06:24can also really align well with the um

3:06:28ecology and climate goals that were

3:06:30identified as part of the open space

3:06:32plan as well. So that's there's some

3:06:34slight pink highlighting uh around some

3:06:37of these to really emphasize the uh

3:06:39ecological connectivity as well.

3:06:41>> Yeah, thanks there. A lot of that

3:06:43connectivity is to um allow wildlife to

3:06:46travel, you know, east west. Um North

3:06:49Avenue is a major barrier for wildlife,

3:06:51but we do know that, you know, once

3:06:53they're able to cross, getting to um

3:06:56places where there's water is really

3:06:57important uh for ecological health.

3:07:01Um the mobility vision is implementable

3:07:06uh through several pathways. One is

3:07:08standalone capital projects. um others

3:07:11might occur as development occurs. Um

3:07:14inter agency coordination is going to be

3:07:16really important here but also want to

3:07:18stress that community participation

3:07:20ongoing is a major function here. Um I

3:07:25think you all likely received some

3:07:27emails today about Tracy and Laldo

3:07:30Drive. Um for those streets and any

3:07:34other streets where transportation

3:07:37infrastructure changes are envisioned,

3:07:40there will be scoping studies. There

3:07:41will be engineering studies done. There

3:07:43will be traffic studies to determine the

3:07:46capacity of the roads, the output of any

3:07:48new growth to determine if streets will

3:07:51be unduly impacted by growth, that sort

3:07:55of thing. A planning study is a 20-year

3:07:58sort of vision, high level. It is not

3:08:01meant to be a place where detailed

3:08:02engineering studies are completed. We

3:08:06want to make sure that folks know that

3:08:08having something like what is shown for

3:08:10Tracy and Lato in a long-term plan does

3:08:12not mean it's coming next year or even

3:08:14five years from now. We the city will

3:08:16have to prioritize among many uh

3:08:19transportation improvements and

3:08:21ultimately select those and fund studies

3:08:23to do more engineering um focused work.

3:08:27Um we are happy to um take any you know

3:08:31calls or concerns from the public on on

3:08:34those infrastructure improvements.

3:08:37Um on on Starfarm Road we I know we

3:08:40heard a comment earlier about a proposed

3:08:43the plan's proposed multi-use path going

3:08:45up Star Farm Road. Just want to note

3:08:47that the 1991 plan for Star Farm Park

3:08:50which is shown here proposed just that.

3:08:54So, this is something that people have

3:08:56been thinking about for 35 years now.

3:08:59Um, this provides a fully separated,

3:09:03safe, comfortable connection to

3:09:06one of the city's elementary schools. It

3:09:09provides a connection up to North

3:09:10Avenue. Um, you might envision tourists

3:09:14who today bike up and down the bike path

3:09:16and never think to go up to North Avenue

3:09:19and frequent or or visit any of the

3:09:21businesses along the avenue. Um,

3:09:25but if we can create a network like what

3:09:28is shown in this plan, including this

3:09:30path up to North Avenue, you can think

3:09:32about and you might envision a tourist

3:09:34saying, "Well, actually, today I'm going

3:09:35to go up this road, see where it takes

3:09:37me, get up to North Avenue and bike all

3:09:39the way back into town on a fully

3:09:41separated bicycle path." I think this is

3:09:44an opportunity. This is great for

3:09:46mobility. It is great for ecology like

3:09:48Sarah said, but this could be a a huge

3:09:50boost to the city's tourism economy by

3:09:52providing, you know, a significant new

3:09:55area geography as a place for for

3:09:58tourists and residents to visit. Um,

3:10:01just wanted to point that out. North

3:10:05Avenue is is treated heavily in this

3:10:07plan. I don't want to spend too much

3:10:08time on it. We've talked a little bit

3:10:10about it. We'd be happy to sort of share

3:10:11more information at the upcoming public

3:10:14hearings, but the plan envisions it as a

3:10:16main street with uh different sort of

3:10:19characters along its sort of lengthy

3:10:22route. Um, but one thing that ties it

3:10:25all together is just a safer uh

3:10:28combination of bike and pedestrian

3:10:30infrastructure along with green storm

3:10:31water green storm water infrastructure

3:10:34uh and um tree plantings.

3:10:38The greenway was a big topic in this

3:10:40plan as well. Safety and yearround

3:10:43transportation were two of the biggest

3:10:45topics related to the greenway. So,

3:10:46there are several recommendations um for

3:10:49the greenway in this plan. Um they're

3:10:52organized around connectivity, safety,

3:10:54capacity management, year- round

3:10:56functionality, and placemaking.

3:11:00On placemaking, this is the last portion

3:11:02of the plan and I'm almost done and then

3:11:04we're we're happy to take questions and

3:11:06comments. Um it envisions different

3:11:08types of places. Again, we heard a lot

3:11:11of demand for folks uh for new public

3:11:14type public gathering spaces. Um so the

3:11:17focus area at Ethan Allen Shopping

3:11:18Center, for example, envisions a new

3:11:20linear park connecting Ley Park all the

3:11:22way to North Avenue uh with a new

3:11:25mobility hub including a bus uh station

3:11:28along North Avenue. Uh we think there's

3:11:30a lot of potential for Ley Park um to

3:11:34evolve into more of a regional

3:11:37attraction and an attraction for

3:11:39Burlington residents and we think these

3:11:41types of places that are envisioned in

3:11:42the plan will only help make that a

3:11:44reality. U we did hear some concerns

3:11:47about introducing commerce into the

3:11:50parks. Um, this plan does uh envision um

3:11:56small commercial uses at at points along

3:11:58the greenway um at the base of Star Farm

3:12:01Park. Um this,

3:12:04you know, is standard practice for

3:12:07placemaking in Burlington and across the

3:12:09country and world. Uh including cafes,

3:12:12restaurants, and small shops is a vital

3:12:15component component of placemaking. Many

3:12:18of the world's best parks, I would say

3:12:19probably all of the world's best parks

3:12:21do have some form of commerce in them.

3:12:24They attract people. They keep people in

3:12:26the parks. They keep eyes on the parks.

3:12:28Um they're safe. Um the city uh was

3:12:33fortunate to have CEDO and Cedo manages

3:12:35several vendors in city park uh business

3:12:38locations and what is envisioned in this

3:12:41plan just follows that sort of practice.

3:12:44Uh and with that we are happy to take

3:12:47any questions or comments.

3:12:50>> Thank you very much for the

3:12:51presentation. Uh councelor Litwin as

3:12:53mentioned could I turn to you for a

3:12:55motion on the item and then happy to

3:12:56give you the floor back if you'd like it

3:12:58now or can open it up to other

3:12:59counselors.

3:13:00>> Um

3:13:03I will have the floor back just briefly

3:13:05and uh if you don't mind.

3:13:08>> Sure.

3:13:08>> Okay. Thank you. Um, so I would move to

3:13:12adopt the uh, excuse me, to wave the

3:13:16reading and refer the proposed

3:13:19I'm going to get to the right line.

3:13:22Um, here we go. Plan BTV. Uh so the

3:13:27action that I would propose is that we

3:13:32schedule the um the public hearings with

3:13:35the first public hearing of the plan BTV

3:13:37New North End 2050 plan. Um

3:13:42and for November 23rd, the first of

3:13:46those being November 23rd and the second

3:13:48being on December 9th, 2026.

3:13:53>> Okay. Uh so councelor Litwin has moved

3:13:56to wave the reading and to set plan BTV

3:13:58New North End for the first of two

3:14:00public hearings in November 23rd, 2026

3:14:02and the second public hearing on

3:14:03December 9th, 2026. Is that correct?

3:14:06>> Yes, sir.

3:14:07>> Okay. Is there a second to that motion?

3:14:09>> Second.

3:14:10>> Thank you, Councelor Barlo. Uh Councelor

3:14:12Litman, we'll give the floor back to

3:14:13you.

3:14:13>> Yeah. I just want to thank um this has

3:14:16been an immensely hard amount of work

3:14:19and I want to thank our planning

3:14:21department uh for not only doing

3:14:24everything you saw on the Gant chart

3:14:26over the course of the years but also um

3:14:29you know everything that comes after

3:14:31once everybody sees the report for the

3:14:33first time, right? Um so there was a lot

3:14:35of work involved there and no shortage

3:14:38of um

3:14:40no shortage of issues to deal with. So

3:14:43um one of the things that came up is

3:14:45that there was just some concern around

3:14:48the scheduling of the hearings, one

3:14:50being on the week of Thanksgiving and

3:14:52one being on the week of Christmas. And

3:14:54so in sort of working with folks who um

3:14:57had strong feelings about that um and

3:14:59also trying to take into account the

3:15:02many realities that the planning

3:15:03department has to face um in moving this

3:15:06forward uh at this time. This we seem to

3:15:10agree was a good um date set so that we

3:15:14would not have to push off until January

3:15:16after the uh Christmas New Year uh

3:15:19holidays. So, um, I spoke to Director

3:15:22Dillard earlier this evening and I think

3:15:25we're all on the same page there, but I

3:15:26just wanted to mention that this was

3:15:28really just to make sure that folks feel

3:15:30that they have the opportunity to come

3:15:32and participate at either hearing uh,

3:15:35particularly if they happen to be

3:15:36traveling or busy during the

3:15:38Thanksgiving holiday week.

3:15:42>> Right. Thank you, Council Litwin. I will

3:15:44note uh what would we do without Lori

3:15:46Olberg who just handed me a note that

3:15:48our council meeting in December is

3:15:50actually on December 7th uh 2026 as

3:15:53opposed to December 9th and my

3:15:55assumption councelor Litwin is that your

3:15:56intention was that this would be on

3:15:58Monday December 7th. Correct

3:16:01rather than its own standalone meeting

3:16:03on

3:16:03>> You are absolutely correct. I was

3:16:05looking at the November calendar.

3:16:07>> Yes that may be

3:16:08>> and it is December 7th and I apologize.

3:16:11Thank you, Lori and um and councelor

3:16:15Traverse. Um so hopefully adjusting that

3:16:17to the 7th is friendly to certainly

3:16:20>> councelor Barlo. Okay, great.

3:16:22>> Okay. Uh so the motion is to hold the

3:16:24hearings on November 23rd and December

3:16:277th then and we'll open the floor to any

3:16:29other comments or questions from

3:16:30counselors.

3:16:33>> We'll go councelor Barlo and then

3:16:35Carpenter.

3:16:36>> I just also want to say thank you. Um, I

3:16:38know it was a lot of work. Um, and uh,

3:16:42as uh, as councelor Busher mentioned in

3:16:45her comments or former councelor Busher

3:16:47mentioned earlier in her comments, it

3:16:49was it's a little bit of a messy

3:16:51process, but I do remember that we

3:16:53wanted our own plan, BTV New North End,

3:16:57and we wanted it because other parts of

3:16:58the city were getting their own plan, so

3:17:01we thought we should have one, too. Um,

3:17:04and so, thank you for for seeing this

3:17:06through. Um, I appreciate all the

3:17:10feedback you took. I know some of those

3:17:12meetings were a little bit challenging.

3:17:15Um, but I do think we have a better

3:17:16product because of it. Um, I and and one

3:17:20of the things that um, has always been

3:17:22important to me and I think to councelor

3:17:24Carpenter as well is we have these areas

3:17:26of the new north end that are sort of

3:17:28like deadended and not like

3:17:30interconnected with the rest and and um,

3:17:33part of this plan tries to make those

3:17:35connections. Um, so I appreciate that as

3:17:38well. Um,

3:17:40so so thank you. Um, I guess that is all

3:17:44I want to say about this, but I look

3:17:46forward to hearing from folks at the

3:17:49public hearings um to see what else

3:17:52might come up, but um I'm I'm fully

3:17:54supportive of this as is drafted right

3:17:57now.

3:18:00>> Thank you, Council Barlo. Councelor

3:18:01Carpenter,

3:18:04>> thanks. I I too really want to uh thank

3:18:07Charles and Sarah for the work. This was

3:18:09a lot of work and um they have been so

3:18:12responsive to the feedback that that we

3:18:14all have gotten and and incorporated it.

3:18:16So I really do appreciate it. one one

3:18:20more suggestion I was going to make and

3:18:22you're so good both of you in your

3:18:24preservations that if there could be

3:18:26almost a few addendums like um all of

3:18:30the public outreach you did I mean just

3:18:33attached to the plan we had all these

3:18:35many things um the little bit of the

3:18:39disclaimer that Charles made about this

3:18:41is not set in stone each of these

3:18:44elements will have its own public

3:18:46hearing when the time comes and um you

3:18:50know maybe reiterating some of the stuff

3:18:52you heard in the public forums about we

3:18:54really do want placemaking because

3:18:56that's a sort of a concept people don't

3:18:58always grasp. So I just you've done a

3:19:00lot of work and it it exists and maybe

3:19:02there should be sort of an attachment of

3:19:05memor memorializing all the work you did

3:19:08and letting folks know that something of

3:19:12this death we will be back to you for

3:19:14each individual piece.

3:19:17May I say that in our conversations with

3:19:19CCRPC and the consultant team, we did

3:19:21contemplate a kind of disclaimer Yeah.

3:19:23page in a way and can we're happy to

3:19:26reopen that. Okay.

3:19:28>> Thanks.

3:19:31>> Thank you, Councelor Carpenter.

3:19:32Councelor Sanchez Parkinson.

3:19:33>> Thank you. Um I think just reiterating,

3:19:36thank you so much for all of the work

3:19:38that's gone through this. As someone

3:19:39who's newly part of the Plan BTB 2050 um

3:19:45I don't know what it's called committee,

3:19:46it's really great to see sort of this

3:19:49focused effort in a new north end and

3:19:51see how you both are also working on

3:19:54citywide planning. Um so I really

3:19:57appreciate and I also want to

3:19:58acknowledge the amount of work that is

3:20:00going into that but also the

3:20:02opportunities as you all think about um

3:20:04our city as a whole. I think as as a

3:20:07representative of WI three, I'm sitting

3:20:10here thinking about like how do I as a

3:20:13counselor want to stay um informed about

3:20:16what's happening in New North End. So I

3:20:18don't want to extend both my um

3:20:21willingness to connect with counselors

3:20:23in the New North End if anything comes

3:20:25up that you think is important for

3:20:26others to know uh but also for for both

3:20:29of you. Um, I also think about mobility

3:20:32and the way that peop our residents move

3:20:34throughout our city and the

3:20:36opportunities of housing in the new

3:20:38north end could really alleviate a lot

3:20:40of the housing um, challenges that we're

3:20:42facing here in central district. And so,

3:20:45um, I'm thinking about it in that

3:20:46perspective as well. I'm thinking about

3:20:48the ways that a lot of our old north end

3:20:51central district kids commute to the new

3:20:54north end for schooling as well. And so

3:20:56I appreciate the the thinking around

3:20:58transportation in that in those regards.

3:21:00Thank you.

3:21:04>> Thank you, counselor. Is there any other

3:21:06counselor that wishes to be recognized

3:21:07on this item?

3:21:11>> All right, we'll go to a vote on the

3:21:13motion then and assuming passage, we'll

3:21:15look forward to the public hearings on

3:21:17November 23rd and December 7th. Uh all

3:21:21in favor, please say I. I.

3:21:23>> I. Any opposed? That carries

3:21:25unanimously. Thank you, Charles. Thank

3:21:27you, Sarah.

3:21:33All right, that brings us now to item

3:21:346.5. This is a resolution uh proposing a

3:21:38charter change for the March 2nd, 2027

3:21:41annual city meeting. Councelor Bergman,

3:21:43you are the lead sponsor on this item as

3:21:45well as 6.6. And so on both these items,

3:21:48I'll be turning to you for motions, but

3:21:50uh first on 6.5 would welcome a motion

3:21:52for you. I would move to wave the

3:21:55reading um and adopt the uh well and

3:21:59adopt the resolution which is to refer

3:22:01this to the or to the charter change

3:22:05committee for further deliberations as

3:22:07well as setting um public hearings as uh

3:22:12noted in lines 9 through 13 and have the

3:22:16floor back for some comments after a

3:22:19second.

3:22:20>> Thank you. Is there a second?

3:22:22>> Second. Second.

3:22:23Uh we'll go with councelor Shakar. Uh

3:22:26councelor Bergman, happy to give you the

3:22:28floor.

3:22:28>> Uh thank you. Uh it gives me great

3:22:32pleasure to uh sponsor to co-sponsor

3:22:34this uh um uh these additional

3:22:38protections for noncitizen voting. Not

3:22:41the least of which is because when I

3:22:44came onto the council, uh this was a

3:22:47major initiative that we and others who

3:22:50are here like councelor Carpenter um

3:22:53participated in and actually getting it

3:22:55into our charter and passing it. Um, and

3:22:58you'll hear more from the mayor um and

3:23:01councelor Shakar afterwards about h the

3:23:03history, but these are are changes that

3:23:07meet the time and the time is that um

3:23:14across the board um people with um

3:23:19nonitizen status are under attack. And

3:23:24uh for a very very long time in this

3:23:27country, non-citizens had the right to

3:23:29vote and that got chipped away, but it

3:23:32isn't chipped away with regard to local

3:23:35elections. And so we have a system here

3:23:39that allows for that. And um it's a

3:23:43state statute, but it's a state statute

3:23:46that in uh my and other opinions uh

3:23:50needs to be strengthened and protected.

3:23:52not the least of which from those uh in

3:23:56the federal fascist administration that

3:23:59are looking to use every means of

3:24:02information to uh to arrest to

3:24:05intimidate uh to deport folks. And um it

3:24:10is with this in mind that um the

3:24:13proposal is to exempt um pieces of voter

3:24:18data from public inspections and copying

3:24:21under our um public records act. Um and

3:24:25those are driver's license or

3:24:27non-driver's license identification

3:24:29numbers and phone numbers and email

3:24:31addresses, citizen status, and the last

3:24:34four digits of socials. And it also adds

3:24:39that's uh in section 18A. It also adds

3:24:43uh basic safeguards I would say for

3:24:47people who are looking for information

3:24:49on the municipal checklist to swear that

3:24:52they're not going to use it for

3:24:53commercial purposes or disclose it to a

3:24:57variety of people, foreign governments,

3:24:59federal agencies, or a commission for

3:25:01any prohibited purpose under state law.

3:25:04And

3:25:06It's always a challenge. Let me end by

3:25:08saying it's always a challenge to get um

3:25:12legal um residents, non-citizen

3:25:15residents to vote, right? I mean, it

3:25:17just is a reality of the situation.

3:25:19There are a lot of reasons and there are

3:25:20more reasons now for there to be a

3:25:23tremendous amount of fear and um

3:25:26everything we can do to um make folks

3:25:30feel secure in exercising a right to

3:25:34participate in there in our community

3:25:38where their kids are going to school.

3:25:41They are impacted by what we do. it it's

3:25:44very important and so hopefully this

3:25:47will add to those protections and um

3:25:50thank you for entertaining it and I look

3:25:52forward to the conversation in the

3:25:54charter change committee.

3:25:57>> Thank you councelor Bergman. If I could

3:25:59just take a moment here just to ask you

3:26:01just two clarifying questions. One is

3:26:03that there are two versions of the

3:26:04resolution that are posted on civic

3:26:06clerk. I believe the second version is

3:26:08just to indicate councelor Shakar's

3:26:10co-sponsorship, but I just want to

3:26:11clarify that the item you are referring

3:26:13to is the second version that was

3:26:15posted.

3:26:16>> Yes, I am sorry that I didn't make that

3:26:18clear.

3:26:18>> No worries. Um, and then the second

3:26:21clarifying question that I have is your

3:26:23motion did indicate

3:26:25uh moving to pass the resolution, but

3:26:28from my perspective in reading the

3:26:29resolution, I I think the motion should

3:26:31be simply a a referral to the charter

3:26:34change committee and that we would then

3:26:36warrant public hearings after it returns

3:26:39to the full council from the charter

3:26:41change committee. I just I want to

3:26:43clarify that from my perspective, I

3:26:44don't think that the council was voting

3:26:45on the resolution, but just on the

3:26:47referral motion, but I'd be happy to

3:26:49either turn to you or to the city

3:26:51attorney uh on that particular

3:26:53>> I think actually that you are correct

3:26:54and I am incorrect and probably the

3:26:57timing of the uh of all the the warning

3:27:01of the hearings wouldn't work in terms

3:27:03of the statutory limits. So I apologize.

3:27:06I think that your um your interpretation

3:27:09is correct that we are just going to

3:27:11refer this to the uh to the committee

3:27:14for deliberation.

3:27:15>> Okay. Uh thank you. And council Shakar

3:27:18is the individual who seconded it. Was

3:27:19that your understanding as well that

3:27:21this was a referral motion to the

3:27:22charter change committee?

3:27:23>> Yes.

3:27:23>> Okay. And before we open the floor to

3:27:26others on items 6.5 and 6.6, six, city

3:27:28attorney Brown or Mayor Mulvaney

3:27:31Stanick, sorry to put you on the spot

3:27:32here, but I know that there are

3:27:33timelines from uh the DFA and Sarah

3:27:37Montgomery with respect to when the

3:27:39charter change committee if we wanted to

3:27:40take action would need to bring this

3:27:41back in order for us to warn the January

3:27:44public hearings. And just for the sake

3:27:45of the public and for the committee, if

3:27:47you were able to chime in on that front,

3:27:49it may be helpful. I'm going to put on

3:27:50my best Katherine Shod hat and try to um

3:27:54tell you the timeline, but I'm pretty

3:27:55confident that uh action final vote by

3:27:58this council in order to warrant the

3:28:00necessary hearings for placement on the

3:28:01town meeting day ballot, which be would

3:28:03be your December 7th meeting for a final

3:28:05vote on final language and then it would

3:28:08give adequate time without adding extra

3:28:09meetings uh in the month of January to

3:28:12complete the hearings and then the final

3:28:14placement on the um the ballot which is

3:28:16always the last last council meeting in

3:28:18January. Okay.

3:28:19>> And while I have the mic, um I would

3:28:21love to be able to to dovetail what

3:28:23councelor Bergman um did and then pass

3:28:24to councelor Shakar in terms of the

3:28:26co-sponsorship. We sort of worked this

3:28:27out a little bit to be organized.

3:28:29>> Can I continue? Go ahead. Okay, great.

3:28:31Okay.

3:28:31>> So, just uh councelor Bergman and

3:28:33councelor Shaker, thank you for helping

3:28:34bring this to the council tonight. Just

3:28:37for folks who may be less familiar with

3:28:38the the history of non-citizen voter uh

3:28:41voter rights here in the city of

3:28:43Burlington, in 2023, Burlington

3:28:45residents voted overwhelmingly with 68%

3:28:48approval of this charter change to allow

3:28:50noncitizen legal residents of the city,

3:28:53including asylum seekers, refugees, and

3:28:56green card holders to vote in municipal

3:28:58elections. And as councelor Bergman

3:29:00illustrated, that it means school budget

3:29:02votes, that means election of counselors

3:29:04and mayors. It means um adding uh their

3:29:07two cents on tax rate increases, etc. on

3:29:09our local ballot only. The Vermont

3:29:11legislature then approved this charter

3:29:13change during the 2023 legislative

3:29:15session. It was a proud v vote I took as

3:29:17a state legislator at the time, and we

3:29:19went on to override Governor Scott's

3:29:21veto to make this a permanent change to

3:29:23our city's local elections. As of today,

3:29:26we have just north of 129 registered

3:29:30legal resident voters in the city of

3:29:32Burlington. However, we have hundreds

3:29:34more who are eligible to register. And

3:29:36to councelor Bergman's point, the

3:29:37chilling effect that's happening on the

3:29:39federal level is not making it easier

3:29:41for people to feel empowered to exercise

3:29:43their voice, which is their vote.

3:29:45Burlington is not alone in granting

3:29:47non-citizen legal residents the right to

3:29:50participate in decisions that affect

3:29:51them and their local communities. Wooki

3:29:54and Milier have also made it possible

3:29:56for all legal residents in those

3:29:58communities to participate in local

3:30:00democracy and many more communities

3:30:02across the country have added this right

3:30:04as well. And as we have seen an

3:30:07increased federal overreach into

3:30:08elections around the country and the

3:30:10targeting of illegal non-citizen voters

3:30:12in places such as California recently,

3:30:15there's an urgency to add additional

3:30:17protections to the voter data

3:30:19information here in the city of

3:30:20Burlington. I strongly believe this is

3:30:22the time to be proactive, not passive on

3:30:25this city, on this issue as a city.

3:30:28That's why my administration is

3:30:29supporting this charter change because

3:30:31everyone who is a resident of our

3:30:32community and invested in the future of

3:30:34Burlington deserves the right to

3:30:36participate in decisions that will

3:30:38directly impact them, their families,

3:30:40their children, and their community. And

3:30:42they should be able to do so free of

3:30:44intimidation or fear. And with that, I

3:30:47will yield to my colleague uh to wrap up

3:30:49our introduction, if you will, of this

3:30:51charter change. Thank you.

3:30:52>> Thank you so much, um, Mayor Mulvaney

3:30:55Stanic and Councelor Bergman. Um, I just

3:30:57want to jump in and say I'm I'm really

3:30:59grateful and honored to be co-sponsoring

3:31:02us sending this to the charter change

3:31:03committee tonight. Um, and I just think

3:31:05it goes without saying and also feels

3:31:07very in the spirit of our earlier

3:31:09conversation uh around Andrew Champagne

3:31:12that the right to vote is just a crucial

3:31:15exercising of our voice in our community

3:31:17where we live and work and shop and

3:31:19play. Um, I'm, you know, proud that we

3:31:22are a city where non-citizen residents

3:31:24have the right to vote. Um, and I think

3:31:26it's our obligation to do everything we

3:31:28can to protect that right and encourage

3:31:30that participation in our city. Um, and

3:31:33so, uh, I think that's all I really have

3:31:36to add, but I think this is a really

3:31:38important step that we're taking and I'm

3:31:40thrilled that hopefully the charter

3:31:42change committee will be taking it up.

3:31:44Thank you.

3:31:46Thank you, Council Shector. Thank you,

3:31:48Mayor Councelor Sanchez Parkinson.

3:31:51>> Thank you. I want to thank the sponsors

3:31:53for uh putting forward this resolution

3:31:55um and the mayor uh for the background,

3:31:58but also for um supporting proactive

3:32:02solutions to this. Um I am I would be

3:32:05interested. I know that we are also up

3:32:08against a timeline. Um, as I've been

3:32:10thinking about um, how our council

3:32:15um, our process for legislation, I am

3:32:19also interested to be very mindful on

3:32:22how we engage people who are directly

3:32:24impacted by the policies that we uh,

3:32:27work on. And so I would be interested

3:32:30um, and I'm kind of putting it out

3:32:32there. I don't know who sure who it

3:32:34would be to potentially host a joint

3:32:37meeting, a special meeting with the REI

3:32:40and I would be interested to um welcome

3:32:43maybe our trusted community voices or uh

3:32:46folks who work directly or engage with

3:32:49non-citizen residents in our community.

3:32:51Um of course as well those who are

3:32:54directly impacted or would be eligible

3:32:56to vote. Um, so I know again we're up

3:32:59against a um timeline here, but I want

3:33:02to make sure that those who would be

3:33:04impacted are aware of these changes um

3:33:06and that we are proactive in ensuring

3:33:08that there's education around this.

3:33:12>> Thank you, councelor. Are there any

3:33:13other counselors that wish to speak?

3:33:15Yes, councelor Mcnite.

3:33:18>> I'll be very quick, but I just wanted to

3:33:20underline and appreciate the bipartisan

3:33:23collaborative spirit behind this. And I

3:33:26don't usually share details of phone

3:33:28conversations that I have with my

3:33:30colleagues, but the other day the mayor

3:33:32and I had a chance to speak about this

3:33:33since I'm the chair of the charter

3:33:35change committee. And um we had a few

3:33:38things to talk about and this topic uh

3:33:41we we we got to and we got through it

3:33:43very quickly. I'm not going to share all

3:33:45the choice words we shared about the

3:33:47Trump administration, but I just really

3:33:49appreciated how easy it is to find

3:33:51alignment and agree on that and work

3:33:53together to um to protect these rights

3:33:56to vote. So, here we go.

3:33:58>> Thank you, Council Mcnite. Is there any

3:34:00other counselor? Yes, Councelor Grant.

3:34:04I support this, but I really want to

3:34:09I want us to think about the fact that

3:34:11if we support this, we need to be

3:34:15consistent and have a fair and thorough

3:34:19conversation

3:34:21about the violation of the fairness and

3:34:24impartial policing policy that occurred

3:34:27on March 11th.

3:34:31We can't say

3:34:34we support these rights

3:34:36without supporting

3:34:39all rights

3:34:41and protecting

3:34:44all our residents. Thank you.

3:34:47>> Thank you, Councelor Grant. Is there any

3:34:50other counselor that wishes to be

3:34:51recognized on this item?

3:34:55Right. Seeing none, we'll go to a vote.

3:34:56And the motion is on referring it to the

3:34:58charter change committee. All in favor,

3:35:00please say I.

3:35:02>> I. Any opposed? That carries

3:35:04unanimously. That brings us now to item

3:35:076.6. And councelor Bergman, I'll ask you

3:35:09for a motion on this item as well.

3:35:11>> Certainly. Let's if I can do this one

3:35:12right. I move to wave the reading and

3:35:15refer the proposed charter changer

3:35:17charter change to the or charter change

3:35:20committee. And after a second and the

3:35:23mayor has a chance to do some

3:35:25introductory uh remarks, I get the floor

3:35:28back.

3:35:30>> Thank you, Councelor Bergman. Is there a

3:35:31second to this item?

3:35:36>> Second.

3:35:37>> Thank you, Councelor Grant. Uh councelor

3:35:40Bergman, we're going to turn to the

3:35:41mayor now or Okay, mayor.

3:35:43>> In a slightly different order. Thank you

3:35:44very much for allowing me to help

3:35:45introduce this this uh next uh charter

3:35:47change resolution. I'm going to speak to

3:35:50uh the section structurally related to

3:35:52government reorganization that's been

3:35:55already in place for about almost a year

3:35:57and a half at this place. Uh at this

3:35:58point we we piloted through the modern

3:36:01gov initiative some of the structural

3:36:02changes now proposed in the charter

3:36:04change and after about um almost uh

3:36:08again a year and a half or so we feel

3:36:09confident that this is the right path

3:36:11forward as in a time to codify the

3:36:14structural changes that will help make

3:36:15government more modern and more

3:36:17efficient. And the goal always is around

3:36:20effectiveness. How we both operate

3:36:22internally with uh with the stakeholders

3:36:25and users of the system which are city

3:36:27employees. in this case, how they

3:36:28interface with what is now called the

3:36:31department of finance administration as

3:36:33well as the restructuring of our

3:36:35community economic development office,

3:36:37otherwise known as CEDO, as well as a

3:36:40little bit less with DFA, but with the

3:36:42external users, which are our residents,

3:36:44of how they interface with the city on

3:36:46projects and um different partnerships.

3:36:49And as I mentioned, we've implemented

3:36:51these changes over the course of the

3:36:52last uh year and a half or so, and now

3:36:55we're ready to make them permanent. Um

3:36:57first with regarding the department of

3:36:58finance uh financial administration this

3:37:01uh was a move that we brought together

3:37:03the human resources department the

3:37:06information technology department the

3:37:07clerk treasurers department and the city

3:37:10assessor into one department and renamed

3:37:12DFA. So each one of those entities I

3:37:15mentioned are now divisions within uh

3:37:17the DFA. We are also adding within this

3:37:21structure uh we've added already the

3:37:23finance division to stand alone which

3:37:25captures the classic treasurer's work

3:37:27and for those members on the board of

3:37:29finance you I spoke to this a little bit

3:37:30earlier and I encourage you actually to

3:37:32look at the uh DFA report we talked

3:37:34about the closeout unodudited version of

3:37:36fiscal year 26 and some of the reporting

3:37:38that Brad offered is a reflection of how

3:37:41integrated our finance division has now

3:37:43become where we've been able to uh beef

3:37:46up our ability on reporting projections

3:37:48and making sure that information is

3:37:50understandable and clear not only to

3:37:53departments but to all of you as

3:37:54counselors and especially the department

3:37:56sorry the board of finance. Uh

3:37:58consolidating these departments into one

3:38:00has helped to reduce the administrative

3:38:03um overgrowth of our city into silos. It

3:38:06has created an opportunity us for us to

3:38:08act more efficiently across city uh in

3:38:10terms of city finances in particular. We

3:38:12used to have sort of satellite

3:38:14accountants out there and that would

3:38:16created a lot of inconsistency in terms

3:38:17of how much financial support individual

3:38:20departments had embedded in their

3:38:21departments. This allows us to to

3:38:23develop people as generalists. This is a

3:38:26strength a strength for continuity in

3:38:28government. It's a strength for uh in

3:38:29terms of when people retire all the

3:38:31institutional knowledge doesn't leave

3:38:32because they are the accountant for the

3:38:34Burlington Police Department for

3:38:35example. Uh these are some of our

3:38:37departments are very complex and allows

3:38:40us to co-rain and to have a lot of um

3:38:43just smarter ways of supporting our

3:38:45individual departments. Uh for CEDO and

3:38:48actually let me pause here as well. Um

3:38:50you and councelor Bergman will go a

3:38:52little bit into how we propose handling

3:38:54what now our department heads who are

3:38:56holding division uh leader roles within

3:38:59HRIT clerk treasurer's office and city

3:39:01assessor. But what we're also trying to

3:39:03do here is when I say modernize city

3:39:06government is update government to

3:39:07really rise to the occasion of the

3:39:09complexities of running modern

3:39:11government in 2026. This includes hiring

3:39:13practices for which we've seen is

3:39:15difficult. Uh but members mostly on the

3:39:17board of finance will know we've had a

3:39:19um a really difficult time hiring a city

3:39:22assessor for example. We've also uh want

3:39:25to make sure that we are able to hire

3:39:26folks who can continue continuity of

3:39:28leadership within sort of integral

3:39:31really core services within the city of

3:39:33Burlington that should be steady

3:39:35regardless of who the mayor is should be

3:39:37steady regardless of who's on city

3:39:38council so that the internal operations

3:39:40of the city can be tried and true and

3:39:42steady onto CEDO. We've also proposed

3:39:46changes to CEDO that have been in place

3:39:48most of them again for a year and a

3:39:50half. Um but one for in terms of the

3:39:52office of city planning for the last uh

3:39:54over six months or so. We dissolve the

3:39:56business workforce development

3:39:58department that existed when I became

3:39:59mayor and merge those pieces into the

3:40:02existing CEDO structure. When I began

3:40:05there were duplications in workforce

3:40:06development. There were duplications

3:40:08even in economic and uh business

3:40:10development happening between those two

3:40:12different departments. We also moved the

3:40:14church sheet marketplace that was a

3:40:16standalone um entity within the business

3:40:19workforce department into CEDO as a

3:40:22division under CEDO and it's allowed a

3:40:23lot of of um cross collaboration between

3:40:27um many staff now. Uh it's actually

3:40:29great to work right next to CEDO

3:40:30upstairs on the third floor because the

3:40:33uh the cross collaboration and

3:40:34inspiration for which everyone handling

3:40:36community or economic development work

3:40:39is really inspiring. Um, and it's not

3:40:41only helped our economic development

3:40:43planning as we embark on plan BTV 2050,

3:40:46but also as we've embarked on the

3:40:48housing strategy. The amount of uh

3:40:51exciting cross-pollination that's

3:40:53happened and now I'm going to refer to

3:40:54the office of city planning moving under

3:40:56CEDO as of January. You might recall

3:40:58that was one of our decisions um for

3:41:01modern gov year 2 has allowed us to go

3:41:04really deeper into thinking and

3:41:06unlocking some really creative thinking

3:41:07and innovation around housing. So

3:41:10consolidating these divisions under one

3:41:11umbrella department under CEDO um has

3:41:14not only helped with collaboration, it

3:41:16has helped us limit the overlapping

3:41:18scope of works that was duplicating or

3:41:20creating silos as I mentioned before.

3:41:23And I'm very proud of the hard work by

3:41:25the many dedicated civil civil servants

3:41:27we have here in the city. um but the

3:41:29many who've added to the feedback and

3:41:31the design of these two mergers we've

3:41:33successfully completed so far and

3:41:35frankly how well it's going uh within

3:41:38DFA and CEDO. Um I think this is a uh

3:41:41both a worthy uh review to make this a

3:41:44permanent change in our charter and I

3:41:46think the city will not only be better

3:41:47served today but in the future with this

3:41:49smart integration within these two parts

3:41:51of city government and with that I will

3:41:53for I don't get to refer but maybe

3:41:55council burgerman can go second.

3:41:58Thank you, mayor. Uh, do you want the

3:41:59floor, Council Bergman?

3:42:00>> Yeah.

3:42:00>> Great. Yeah.

3:42:02>> Um, so I'm happy to uh to be the sponsor

3:42:06for this uh set of charter changes. Uh,

3:42:10you know, I've been around here for a

3:42:12long time and there is always time for

3:42:15change

3:42:17and this is one on these particular um

3:42:21matters of efficiency.

3:42:23And I just want to focus on the um uh

3:42:28the mayoral appointments and somebody

3:42:30who got appointed 20 straight years each

3:42:33year individually. It seemed sort of

3:42:36silly at a at a certain point. Um but

3:42:39that's the way that the structure of our

3:42:42government has evolved and it sort of

3:42:44just incrementally

3:42:47built up. We have 30 positions in in

3:42:50government that we have to um approve

3:42:53every year and that the mayor has to

3:42:57nominate and get the appointment and you

3:43:00know some of them the department heads

3:43:01that makes perfect sense. I mean we need

3:43:03to do that. you know, you you think

3:43:05about at the federal level, there's a a

3:43:08level of that, but um the constable and

3:43:13the assistant city attorneys, which are

3:43:15actually I don't know if I think that

3:43:17they are the same people right now. That

3:43:19was the way it was when I was there. Um

3:43:23it it's it just doesn't really make any

3:43:25sense. It came from a a point when we

3:43:28had a very very small department with

3:43:30like one attorney. I think Sarah

3:43:33probably knows those those days and that

3:43:36is not the case there. And it makes

3:43:39really no sense for us to be hiring such

3:43:43important positions for a one-year

3:43:46basis, right? The assessor,

3:43:50the human resource director, the the

3:43:53city engineer. I mean, we just go down

3:43:56the list on both of these areas. it it

3:44:01really is time for for a change and you

3:44:05know we'll we'll get to the details in

3:44:09the um in the charter change committee

3:44:12in terms of things like the you know the

3:44:14the length of term um and the

3:44:17organization but um this just makes

3:44:21eminent sense and in just in

3:44:24relationship to the comments that uh

3:44:26former um

3:44:29councelor Busher mentioned about having

3:44:32control and and seeding power

3:44:35particularly with these one, you know,

3:44:38with with these uh um appointments that

3:44:40we're we're making. We don't get any

3:44:43more power. I mean, practically

3:44:45speaking, that is not we don't have any

3:44:49more power. It doesn't give more

3:44:51oversight. It is

3:44:53it it's just foolish. And I I just want

3:44:56to acknowledge um the the email that we

3:45:00got um from the Church Street

3:45:02Marketplace uh commissioner uh Mark

3:45:05Boscher or Buchette um and you know

3:45:08concerned about the the the structure

3:45:11that they're in now. They are already

3:45:14it's already been moved like for a

3:45:16period of time. So I'm not all that

3:45:18concerned but this is where the vetting

3:45:20process comes in. And as you all know, I

3:45:25take the work that I do on our

3:45:28committees really seriously. I can be a

3:45:31real pain in the neck for all the nits

3:45:34that I pick, but I got to tell you, this

3:45:36is this is good that you say no. But

3:45:39this is what our committees are supposed

3:45:41to do. And this will be this will be the

3:45:45opportunity for the charter change

3:45:46committee to do this vetting. And I look

3:45:49forward to it and getting it back here

3:45:51in early December to

3:45:53make this thing a reality or at least

3:45:55put it before the voters because

3:45:57ultimately we don't do it unless the

3:45:59voters in the legislature and the

3:46:00governor decide. Thank you.

3:46:03>> Thank you, Councelor Bergman. Councelor

3:46:04Litwin.

3:46:06>> Thank you so much. Um so I appreciate

3:46:09the context and um

3:46:13the efforts around modern gov. Um, I

3:46:17also hold some of the same concern that

3:46:21councelor Busher called in, former

3:46:22counselor Busher called in with. Um, so

3:46:25when I review this document, first of

3:46:26all, I just want to say we've had a lot

3:46:28of conversation about process and we've

3:46:31had a lot of conversation about uh

3:46:33warning

3:46:35and even when things are being referred

3:46:37to committee

3:46:39and I didn't see this until this packet

3:46:41weekend. So, I just want to name that in

3:46:43terms of process,

3:46:45but I'm always supportive of sending

3:46:48something to committee. Um, it just

3:46:52provides more opportunity for discussion

3:46:54and for um deeper review.

3:46:58Uh, I agree when I see roles like

3:47:02second, third, and fourth city constable

3:47:06that, you know, we should streamline

3:47:08these processes. um pounder, harbor

3:47:12master, right? We know those um are

3:47:16roles that can easily be hired through

3:47:19our human resource process. Um

3:47:22where I will draw a hard line hard red

3:47:25line on anything that comes out of that

3:47:27committee is um losing the people losing

3:47:34uh any say in the appointment of the

3:47:36director of city planning or the

3:47:38director of human resources.

3:47:41I don't see it as silly. I see it as a

3:47:44really important check and balance. Um I

3:47:47believe that both of those roles uh

3:47:52oversee committees the HR committee and

3:47:55the planning committee uh which is

3:47:57different from every other role listed

3:47:59in this and uh frequently those folks

3:48:03come and present in front of us. Um, and

3:48:06I also believe that it's important that

3:48:08the director of human resources in my

3:48:11mind be accountable to the people, not

3:48:14whoever happens to be in office at that

3:48:16time. And the

3:48:20city to planning city planning

3:48:21department I think again should feel

3:48:25that they can operate freely of any

3:48:30influence or at least some influence

3:48:33from any administration regardless of

3:48:35party. So I would be hardpressed to

3:48:40support any charter change that comes

3:48:43back that suggests that we give up or

3:48:47the future board members give up when

3:48:49none of us are here um or counselors are

3:48:53here uh the authority to appoint those

3:48:56those folks. So I uh I just want to

3:48:59share that now in advance of any

3:49:02process. Thank you.

3:49:04Thank you, councelor Lewin. Yes,

3:49:06councelor Shakar and councelor Sang, did

3:49:08you want to Okay, we'll go councelor

3:49:10Shakar and then saying

3:49:11>> thank you president Traverse. Um, yeah,

3:49:14and I just wanted to kind of building a

3:49:17bit off what councelor Litwin just

3:49:18shared. I just wanted to say I I the

3:49:21reason I didn't co-sponsor this was

3:49:22purely a timing thing and that I felt

3:49:24like there was so much in here. I didn't

3:49:26really have the time to fully digest it

3:49:28um before it was posted. And I think

3:49:31it's a really worthy conversation for

3:49:33the charter change committee to be

3:49:34having. Um, and I just wanted to name I

3:49:37guess one of the comments I have about

3:49:39it is there's just so much in here um

3:49:42that I almost wonder if it ultimately

3:49:45may need to be worked in bits and

3:49:47pieces. I feel like there's there's

3:49:49important elements around how our

3:49:51departments are structured and set up

3:49:53and new departments that have been

3:49:54created. I think there's conversations

3:49:57around positions that are or are not

3:49:59mayoral appointees and then there's

3:50:00conversations around term like term and

3:50:03how long appointments are and all of

3:50:05those are really good conversations to

3:50:07have. Um and I just feel like it's a lot

3:50:10to bite off in a in a short amount of

3:50:13time and I wonder if there might be

3:50:15parts that would be simpler to move

3:50:18forward than others. So, I'll just put

3:50:20that out there as it goes to committee

3:50:22that it just it was a lot for me to wrap

3:50:24my head around in a short amount of time

3:50:26and I don't know how much time the

3:50:29charter change committee is going to

3:50:30need with it, but there may be an

3:50:32approach that it it just feels like it's

3:50:34doing a lot at once. Um, not that it

3:50:36isn't important and that

3:50:39absolutely change is inevitable and our

3:50:41city department structures have to adapt

3:50:44with the time. So, I just wanted to say

3:50:46that out loud, but I'm glad that we'll

3:50:47be taking this up further.

3:50:50Thank you, councelor Shakar. Councelor

3:50:52Singh.

3:50:53>> Uh, thank you. I appreciate uh the work

3:50:56that's been done on modern gov and I'm

3:50:57glad to see that we're we're still

3:50:59working towards this. Um, I I do express

3:51:02the same um reservations. You know,

3:51:05again, I haven't been able to dive

3:51:06completely into this uh which I hope we

3:51:09get to do in in the charter change

3:51:11committee. And and to councelor

3:51:12Bergman's point, you know, um I do have

3:51:16concerns, you know, when the marketplace

3:51:17was first set up and again, you know,

3:51:19everybody I sat there for many years um

3:51:24you know, was set up in that way. So it

3:51:26would it would be directly reporting to

3:51:28the um the administration

3:51:31um and not and further putting it down

3:51:33in an organizational change. you know, I

3:51:36do feel will dilute some of um it kind

3:51:40of, you know, that marketplace

3:51:41commission kind of operates that whole

3:51:43area as their own almost as far as like,

3:51:46you know, there's um cart vendor rules.

3:51:49There's um all sorts of things that they

3:51:52do and and it seeing I think they'd feel

3:51:55um certainly the fee payers would feel

3:51:57that they'd be diluting their their um

3:51:59input into this process when they are

3:52:02basically solely well not solely but

3:52:04pretty much predominantly funding their

3:52:06own department. Um and again certainly I

3:52:10agree there's a lot of things that need

3:52:11to be modernized in the way we we

3:52:13operate city government and I hope we

3:52:15can kind of work through those things

3:52:16through committee. So I appreciate this.

3:52:18Thank you.

3:52:20Thank you, Councelor Sang. Uh, councelor

3:52:22Bergman, I know you wanted to be

3:52:23recognized. I'm going to see if there's

3:52:24anyone else that wants to be recognized

3:52:25the first time and then we'll come back

3:52:27to you. Uh, we'll go counselor Sanchez

3:52:28Parkinson and then councelor Carpenter.

3:52:31>> Um, thank you. I just wanted to note a

3:52:33couple of things from here. One, I will

3:52:36look out for when charter takes us on

3:52:38because I think that this is a really

3:52:39important one for all counselors to uh

3:52:43be involved in. I am particularly in

3:52:46support of the appointments of every

3:52:48three years. I think that that is just a

3:52:50best practice in terms of as we think

3:52:52about workforce development for our city

3:52:54as we think about uh attracting um

3:52:57talent to our city. It's really

3:52:59important that we offer something that

3:53:02feels a little bit more um of a

3:53:04commitment from our end as well. Um but

3:53:07again I look forward to engaging more

3:53:08deeply and um I would make a suggestion

3:53:11that as we make this decision it might

3:53:13be beneficial for a for the committee to

3:53:17hear directly either from CEDO or um in

3:53:21terms of how that merge has um evolved.

3:53:24I I think I I um the mayor mentioned

3:53:26that it's been successful. I think it

3:53:29would be helpful to know directly what

3:53:30are some areas that have been a success

3:53:32and what are areas that we would want to

3:53:34continue to work on. Thank you.

3:53:38>> Thank you, councelor. Councelor

3:53:39Carpenter.

3:53:42>> Thanks. Um I too agree. While I'm

3:53:45generally supportive of a lot of this, I

3:53:48was surprised to see it as a charter

3:53:50change sort of fully written out with no

3:53:54committee conversation about it. And

3:53:56it's not that I agree or disagree with

3:53:58it, but I I think it would help us to

3:54:01have a full conversation. I'd love to

3:54:04see this in more of an org chart

3:54:06arrangement um than just the words on

3:54:10the charter. Um I also want to put out

3:54:14there maybe there's other stuff in the

3:54:16charter that we we don't want in there.

3:54:19um you know for instance all the detail

3:54:21on what CEDO does or what these

3:54:24departments do. Do we really want that?

3:54:26I'm generally a supporter of letting a

3:54:31mayor have an organization that works

3:54:34for them. Um and you know how do you

3:54:38balance that between giving the council

3:54:40sort of approval rights and letting the

3:54:44mayor run their government? And so I I

3:54:47just think this is worthy of a little

3:54:48more conversation around, you know, how

3:54:50do how do we accomplish

3:54:53both of that uh allowing a new mayor to

3:54:58um organize the government around them

3:55:00to get their missions done and give the

3:55:04city council the appropriate

3:55:07oversight on department heads. So, I

3:55:10just maybe it's the concept of a joint

3:55:14meeting with charter or a work session,

3:55:17but I just think we need more detail and

3:55:20more conversation on this.

3:55:26Well, I'm willing to propose uh council

3:55:29chapter. I had suggested um maybe there

3:55:32be a joint HR uh charter meeting or I

3:55:37had also suggested a work session on the

3:55:40HR on this topic.

3:55:44>> Thank you, Councelor Carpenter. Uh are

3:55:48you all set?

3:55:48>> Yes.

3:55:49>> Okay. Uh, councelor Grant.

3:55:54>> Uh, so just to confirm, we would be

3:55:58voting to send it to committee for

3:56:00discussion. So it'd be going into

3:56:02committee for discussion. Also,

3:56:06we have a lot of meetings and we review

3:56:09a lot of stuff. We've actually reviewed

3:56:11this before. We've actually seen org

3:56:13charts. Um in fact

3:56:17these uh changes th this would be

3:56:22putting the changes in our charter as

3:56:25part of the modern gov initiative. These

3:56:28departments are already working in this

3:56:32way if I may confirm that with the the

3:56:35mayor.

3:56:38>> Yeah. Do you have an answer to that?

3:56:39>> Yes. Um not only are they working in

3:56:41this way, you have seen work charts

3:56:43during the budgeting process leading

3:56:44into fiscal year 27. We also held work

3:56:48sessions in great detail uh more more

3:56:50than six plus months ago when we

3:56:52initially merged DFA and CEDO. We can

3:56:54resend those presentations. You all

3:56:56engaged. Scott Burker was our lead has

3:56:58been our lead on modern gov. We've gone

3:57:00in quite detail of all this. None of

3:57:02this is new. Um just factually uh and

3:57:05we've been operating this this in this

3:57:07uh structure and you've been interfacing

3:57:08with departments that are now divisions

3:57:11in this format for well over a year and

3:57:13in some cases a year and a half.

3:57:15>> Point of information.

3:57:17>> Yep.

3:57:18>> Uh I just had a follow-up question for

3:57:20the mayor if if that's allowed.

3:57:22>> Sure. I'm happy to give the floor to

3:57:24you. Let me just I'll go back to

3:57:26councelor Grant. Councelor Grant, you

3:57:28still have the floor.

3:57:30I will yield to the question and then

3:57:32have the mic back if that's okay.

3:57:34>> Sure. Council Mcnite.

3:57:37>> As I recall, uh, we did take the step of

3:57:40the council voting to approve the

3:57:42current planning director and current

3:57:43Church Street Marketplace director. Is

3:57:46that accurate?

3:57:49>> Can you clarify what you mean by vote in

3:57:51terms of the appointments?

3:57:53>> Yes, the appointments. Correct. Well,

3:57:54because the charter is the underlying

3:57:56governing document right now. So every

3:57:58single proposed position regardless of

3:58:00where they sit in our organizational

3:58:01chart including even the harbor master

3:58:03that is a division level position

3:58:05>> but that would change with

3:58:07>> that is the proposed language within

3:58:08this charter change to explore changing

3:58:10but not all of these appointed mayoral

3:58:12positions. There is a this list is is

3:58:15thoughtful the ones specifically um from

3:58:17department head status if you will um

3:58:19are is a short list which is outlined

3:58:21and this is something we hope your

3:58:22committee will take up. Thank you.

3:58:25>> Thank you mayor. Thank you councelor

3:58:26Mcnite. Uh, Councelor Grant, the floor

3:58:28is still yours.

3:58:29>> Thank you. So, I appreciate uh the

3:58:31clarifications we just heard from the

3:58:34mayor and um as I was sitting here

3:58:36listening to some of the concerns, I was

3:58:39getting a little bit confused because we

3:58:40have talked about this and I think um

3:58:43maybe I would suggest that the

3:58:47presentations be resent to all of the

3:58:49counselors as a way to um jog everyone's

3:58:54memory. And it was previously discussed

3:58:57that ultimately this would have to be

3:58:59going uh to uh charter change committee

3:59:03for um discussion and vote. Uh but this

3:59:07has been something um as just said was

3:59:10led by Scott Barker and we have started

3:59:14to operate in this way. Thank you.

3:59:17>> Thank you councelor Grant. Is there any

3:59:19other counselor that has not been

3:59:20recognized on this item that wishes to?

3:59:22Yes, councelor Barlo. And I I we'll get

3:59:24to you, Council Bergman. Yes.

3:59:26>> Okay.

3:59:27Uh, council Barlo,

3:59:29>> I I just want to um

3:59:32reflect that when we first uh decided to

3:59:35make some of these changes a couple

3:59:37years ago in modern go, I know I raised

3:59:39concern about um moving the church

3:59:42street marketplace director um into

3:59:47um at the time I had asked if we would

3:59:49explore other alternative uh governance

3:59:51structures for the church street

3:59:52marketplace and that was still on the

3:59:53table and I know there's a number of

3:59:55people in the business community um that

3:59:58are interested in doing that still. Um I

4:00:01think it's also noteworthy that the um

4:00:05the chairperson of the church

4:00:07marketplace sent us the letter uh

4:00:09expressing concerns about this change to

4:00:12the marketplace director. So I I this is

4:00:15an area although I'm I'm fully

4:00:17supportive of sending this to a

4:00:20committee for further deliberation. I

4:00:22have serious concerns about that in that

4:00:25particular move in particular charter

4:00:28change in particular. So, um I just want

4:00:30to name it even though I know it's been

4:00:32we've been operating this way. Um

4:00:35you know, it was sort of an interim

4:00:37measure back when we initially did it

4:00:40and was going to be looked at further or

4:00:43at least that was my understanding. So,

4:00:46um fully support sending this to charter

4:00:49and uh look forward to future

4:00:51conversations and and input on this.

4:00:56>> Thank you, Council Barlo.

4:00:58Um, and yes, councelor Shakar, you spoke

4:01:01on the item already. So, I'll see is

4:01:03there anyone that has not gone a first

4:01:05time that wishes to speak on this item.

4:01:08All right. So, I think what we'll try to

4:01:09do is we'll go to councelor Bergman and

4:01:11then go to councelor Shaper and then

4:01:13hopefully go to a vote on the item.

4:01:15Councelor Bergman. So, I just want to

4:01:17thank everybody for putting on the table

4:01:21your concerns. Really, really helpful.

4:01:25It's really really helpful to hear the

4:01:28support that we're going to do a real

4:01:32vetting in the committee that we're

4:01:34going to do engagement with uh

4:01:37particularly on the other one in terms

4:01:40of you know the the non-citizen voting

4:01:43and that there are going to be maybe

4:01:46opportunities for us to do joint

4:01:48committees which can make perfect sense

4:01:51and I would hope and expect as the

4:01:54sponsor and as a supporter of this that

4:01:56the administration comes and engages in

4:02:00all the collaboration and all the

4:02:03information that we need. That is a

4:02:07committee process that makes sense. And

4:02:10if somebody said maybe we need to cut

4:02:12some pieces out because we're not ready

4:02:14for prime time, we can get there and we

4:02:17can get there and come back with a

4:02:19recommendation from a committee. Maybe

4:02:22it's a amendment to this that will get

4:02:26us to where we as a city as a city

4:02:29council as a government here need to go.

4:02:33So I just want to think I I want to say

4:02:35that everybody that has spoken from the

4:02:38sponsors and the promoters of it to

4:02:40those who have raising questions have

4:02:43done the job to get us to a place where

4:02:47we can do the actual

4:02:50serious line by line vetting in the

4:02:53committee and come back with something

4:02:55and I look forward to doing it as much

4:02:57as we can um in the by the December

4:03:01deadline. Thank you.

4:03:04>> Thank you, Councelor Bergman and then

4:03:06councelor Shakar.

4:03:07>> Thank you. Um I just had a quick sort of

4:03:09remark and then a point of information

4:03:12for the human res or the human resource

4:03:15committee chair. Um which is that I do

4:03:18think there's it would be interesting to

4:03:20consider a joint process between charter

4:03:23change and HR around some of the

4:03:25questions around term and how that

4:03:27impacts recruitment and best practices

4:03:29and how other cities are managing this

4:03:31and sort of some of those

4:03:32considerations. And so I'm wondering if

4:03:35um I guess my my question for perhaps

4:03:39the chair if that's an allowable

4:03:41uh thing to do right now would be to see

4:03:44if there's um value in sending this to a

4:03:48joint process of the HR committee and

4:03:51the charter change committee to dive a

4:03:52little bit into it with that HR lens as

4:03:54well versus just sending it to charter

4:03:57change.

4:03:59So that's I guess that's a point of

4:04:00information for the chair councelor

4:04:02Carpenter.

4:04:04>> Um I would be happy and interested in

4:04:06doing that. I was trying to read through

4:04:08this and this does not propose the the

4:04:11hearing what the the hearing um

4:04:14deadlines are. I'm just curious.

4:04:18>> Yeah. So we have Yes. So we've received

4:04:21an email from the mayor's office that's

4:04:23been circulated again to a number of us

4:04:26this evening. But yes, to remind folks

4:04:29here, um the uh deadline for this

4:04:33council to take action to begin the

4:04:35process of the public hearings necessary

4:04:37here would be our meeting on December

4:04:387th. It's my understanding

4:04:43>> point of information or

4:04:47>> yes, what what we've been told is that

4:04:49the preference is to do it on December

4:04:517th. We we could do it later in the

4:04:54month, but it has to be at one of our

4:04:57December meetings.

4:04:58>> Yes, Council Mcnite.

4:05:02>> I just wanted to respond as the chair of

4:05:04the charter change committee and speak

4:05:05to the scheduling. I don't know if this

4:05:07is an appropriate time to do that.

4:05:09>> Well, councelor Shakar, you had the

4:05:10floor. We've we've gone a little bit

4:05:12bouncing around here, but councelor

4:05:14Shakar, are you all set?

4:05:17>> I am all set for the moment. I am

4:05:20wondering if we need to amend the motion

4:05:22if we're going to send to a joint

4:05:23committee process, but I defer to the

4:05:26chairs of the respective committees.

4:05:29>> I mean, I certainly would accept that

4:05:32the charter change would invite us to

4:05:33participate. So, I don't necessarily

4:05:36need a motion. I just would like to get

4:05:40that out there.

4:05:41>> Okay. Thank you, Council Carbon.

4:05:43Councelor Mcnite, hopefully we

4:05:44>> you want to speak to it as chair of the

4:05:45charter change committee. I just want to

4:05:48um underline the the the timing here. Um

4:05:52we do have a charter change committee

4:05:54meeting scheduled. I believe it's for

4:05:56November 19th, uh a Thursday at noon. Um

4:06:01that's the only one we have on the

4:06:02calendar right now. I was hoping to

4:06:04schedule one more before the 7th. I

4:06:06don't think we're going to be able to

4:06:07schedule more than two. So ideally if HR

4:06:12wants to the HR committee members want

4:06:15to participate you would come on the

4:06:1619th at noon which certainly I would

4:06:19welcome otherwise I it will be

4:06:22challenging to get it on the schedule

4:06:24with the holiday and um work

4:06:27constraints.

4:06:28>> Just another point of clarification do

4:06:30we expect another charter change to come

4:06:32around the tax fairness?

4:06:37>> Yes. Uh so

4:06:40there there is yes so so the the the tax

4:06:42fairness ad hoc committee is holding

4:06:44public hearings right now. We held our

4:06:45first and we will be holding two more

4:06:47over November and the intention is for

4:06:49the committee to get back together again

4:06:51uh to present uh if if necessary a

4:06:54proposed charter change as early as our

4:06:56meeting as as December 7th. So yes

4:06:59>> in the intent there is that the tax

4:07:03fairness committee would present it

4:07:05directly to the council. Well, we'll

4:07:06need to connect with the charter change

4:07:09committee chair with respect to that,

4:07:10but I think I think the timing of it

4:07:12would be such that

4:07:13>> okay

4:07:13>> uh it it may be necessary for it to be

4:07:16considered by the full council.

4:07:17>> Okay.

4:07:20>> Okay.

4:07:22>> Okay.

4:07:24Good debate. Uh anyone else have any

4:07:27questions or comments before we move to

4:07:28a vote on the matter?

4:07:33All right. So the motion is on referral

4:07:36to the charter change committee and on

4:07:39this question I'll ask that the clerk

4:07:41please call the role.

4:07:56>> Councelor Barlo.

4:07:58>> Yes.

4:07:59>> Councelor Bergman.

4:08:00>> Yes.

4:08:01>> Councelor Brick.

4:08:02>> Yes.

4:08:04Councelor Carpenter.

4:08:08>> Yes.

4:08:10>> Councelor Grant,

4:08:11>> yes.

4:08:12>> Councelor Litwin,

4:08:14>> yes.

4:08:16>> Councelor Mcnite,

4:08:18>> yes.

4:08:19>> Councelor Newer,

4:08:21>> yes.

4:08:23>> Councelor Sanchez Parkinson,

4:08:25>> yes.

4:08:27>> Councelor Shaker,

4:08:28>> yes.

4:08:29>> Councelor Singh,

4:08:31>> yes. City Council President Traverse.

4:08:34>> Well, that was unnecessary. Yeah. Yes.

4:08:36>> Thank you.

4:08:40>> 12 eyes.

4:08:40>> Okay. So, that's so 12 I's and zero

4:08:43nays. That that is unanimous. Uh and

4:08:46thank you for folks patience. Um

4:08:49and yes, you do do it very well, Lori.

4:08:51So, thank you. Um great. So, that brings

4:08:54us now to item 6.7. Uh, I will note the

4:08:58time is 10:17 p.m. and I'm expecting

4:09:01that to get through our deliberative

4:09:02agenda that we are likely going to have

4:09:04to suspend our rules. Um, I would be

4:09:08open to a motion at any point between

4:09:09now and 10:30 to suspend our rules to

4:09:12complete the deliberative agenda.

4:09:16>> I'll make a motion to suspend our rules

4:09:18to complete our deliberative agenda.

4:09:21>> Okay.

4:09:22>> Second.

4:09:23>> There's a second to that motion. Um,

4:09:28and I'll go to city attorney Brown. Just

4:09:30as a reminder on this item, a motion to

4:09:32suspend our rules is or is not

4:09:33debatable.

4:09:44Not debatable. Confirmed.

4:09:47>> Okay. Uh so the motion is to suspend our

4:09:51rules uh to complete our deliberative

4:09:53agenda which is item 6.7 the ordinance

4:09:56on trespass and city property. Um and

4:09:59item 6.8 a resolution regarding the

4:10:01Burlington forward update. Um I will ask

4:10:06that the clerk well let's I'll try a

4:10:08voice vote on this one. All in favor of

4:10:10the

4:10:10>> I I I would like it to have a a roll

4:10:13>> roll call. Okay. All right. Council

4:10:14Bergman's called for roll. So, the clerk

4:10:16will please call the role on the motion

4:10:17to suspend our rules.

4:10:25>> Councelor Barlo,

4:10:26>> yes.

4:10:27>> Councelor Bergman,

4:10:30>> I'm sorry.

4:10:30>> Absolutely not.

4:10:32>> Councelor Brick,

4:10:34>> no.

4:10:36>> Councelor Carpenter,

4:10:38>> yes.

4:10:40>> Councelor Grant,

4:10:42>> no. Councelor Litwin.

4:10:49>> Yes.

4:10:51>> Councelor Mcnite.

4:10:52>> Yes.

4:10:53>> Councelor Newbieser.

4:11:00>> No.

4:11:02>> Councelor Sanchez Parkinson.

4:11:06>> Yes.

4:11:08>> Councelor Shaker.

4:11:09>> Yes.

4:11:11>> Councelor Singh.

4:11:12>> Yes.

4:11:13City Council President Traverse.

4:11:15>> Yes.

4:11:20>> Eight eyes, four Naz.

4:11:23>> A motion to suspend our rules requires

4:11:252/3, which is eight. And with eight

4:11:28yeses and four nos, the motion to

4:11:29suspend our rules carries. Um, so with

4:11:32that, we will now turn to item 6.7,

4:11:35which is the ordinance regarding uh

4:11:37chapter 21, offenses and miscellaneous

4:11:39provisions, trespass on city property.

4:11:42Um, councelor Bergman, as I know

4:11:44councelor Singh is the primary sponsor

4:11:45of this, but as this comes our way from

4:11:47the ordinance committee, could I turn to

4:11:49you for a motion on the item?

4:11:50>> Yes. Uh, I would move the um the waving

4:11:55of the second reading and ask uh that we

4:11:58approve the uh the resol the the

4:12:01ordinance and have the floor back after

4:12:03a second.

4:12:04>> Thank you. Is there a second?

4:12:05>> Second.

4:12:05>> Thank you, Councelor Singh. Councelor

4:12:06Bergman, floor is yours. So, um, we got

4:12:10this, um, on a request from the public

4:12:13safety committee based on, um, concerns

4:12:16about the the timing of the holding of

4:12:20these hearings in the short period of

4:12:22time that the ordinance required. And

4:12:25this was particularly true of the um

4:12:30public records requests that were

4:12:32happening

4:12:33in at the same time and also the the

4:12:36bringing together of a lot of evidence

4:12:38uh that was being requested. Um and it

4:12:41was just a really an impossibility from

4:12:45what we understood uh to get to the um

4:12:48to get to the hearing in the applicable

4:12:51and appropriate and required time. Um we

4:12:55took a lot of um time on this and um we

4:13:01made a number of changes uh to the the

4:13:04first reading which I think have

4:13:06improved it um and have created the

4:13:10protections um for everybody involved.

4:13:15Um you have on the first page on lines

4:13:2019 through 21 the question of exigent

4:13:24circumstances by which the um the stay

4:13:30of a an appeal can be um can be disposed

4:13:35of or you can not have a stay. And that

4:13:41is something that is a very very serious

4:13:44matter when an order that's being

4:13:47appealed is uh not stayed. And so we

4:13:51made sure to uh to have language here

4:13:54that clarified that whole process um

4:13:59including the um the fact that the

4:14:03timing of the the design of the

4:14:06existence of the exigent circumstances

4:14:09because um that's just very very serious

4:14:12and it had to be done really quickly.

4:14:14And you'll see at the end of the um of

4:14:19of the uh the proposal on lines 35

4:14:23through 37 that the record decision uh

4:14:27that's issued has got to include um the

4:14:31record of the findings. So it's it's all

4:14:33above board. It's a long way of saying

4:14:37when there's no hiding of the ball.

4:14:39Somebody can't just say there's exit

4:14:41circumstances without providing the

4:14:44notice and without providing

4:14:47us providing in in writing what is

4:14:50actually uh the reasoning for that. And

4:14:53then um the next thing we did was there

4:14:56was the proposal was to basically allow

4:15:00the um un you know the 30 days uh to to

4:15:06have a hearing um as sort of the deflant

4:15:09up to up to 30 days as part of the

4:15:12default instead of the the really speedy

4:15:1710day um um requirement that the

4:15:21ordinance has in it um to for there to

4:15:24be a hearing to uh uh to consider the

4:15:26appeal. And we we changed that to make

4:15:30the default the the 10 days. And if

4:15:33there are these special circumstances,

4:15:36then you get more because that just

4:15:39makes you know logical sense and and

4:15:42particularly when there isn't exigent

4:15:44circumstances, nobody is is prejudiced.

4:15:47So um

4:15:50we we did spent a lot of time on this

4:15:54and rightfully so because you've got all

4:15:57these interests. The interests of the

4:15:59person who is being protected by the

4:16:02issuance of the trespass order, the

4:16:06issuing officer's interest in making

4:16:08sure that they can do their work and the

4:16:11person who is the subject to it, not the

4:16:12least of whom is there. And so this is a

4:16:16balancing um that um we took I think it

4:16:20was three

4:16:22meetings on to uh to go line by line and

4:16:26and come up with. And I think that this

4:16:29meets the uh the due process concerns

4:16:32that we heard um in in the way that um

4:16:38that maintains due process and I'm proud

4:16:41of this work. So, thank you and I thank

4:16:44the city attorney's office for all the

4:16:45work that they did with this and and the

4:16:47public safety committee for bringing it

4:16:50to us.

4:16:52>> Thank you, councelor Bergman. Is there

4:16:55any other counselor? Yes, councelor

4:16:56Singh. We'll turn to you.

4:16:57>> Yeah. Uh I just want to say thank you to

4:16:59councelor Bergman and the rest of the

4:17:01ordinance committee for taking this line

4:17:03by line. Um, and I just want the public

4:17:05to know, you know, uh, in a lot of these

4:17:09circumstances, we would love to do it in

4:17:11the 10day time frame, and I think that

4:17:13would be ideal, but technology, video,

4:17:16text, public records, those can take a

4:17:19lot of time to compile and review, and

4:17:21we want to make sure that we're giving

4:17:23uh, as a committee, a semi-judiciary

4:17:26body, um, the due process and our due

4:17:30diligence as committee members to make

4:17:31that happen. I appreciate um you know

4:17:34the diligence that was actually done in

4:17:36in ordinance to uh capture all those

4:17:39things that councelor Burkeman has

4:17:40brought forth. Um and I really

4:17:43appreciate the hard work by my fellow

4:17:45counselors on this and the city's

4:17:46attorney's office and of course the

4:17:49public safety committee who is had to

4:17:51sit through these uh appeal hearing. So

4:17:53thanks to everybody.

4:17:56>> Thank you councelor Sang. Is there any

4:17:57other counselor that wishes to be

4:17:59recognized on this item?

4:18:02All right, seeing none, we'll go to a

4:18:04vote. All in favor, please say I.

4:18:06>> I.

4:18:07>> Any opposed? That carries unanimously.

4:18:10Uh, that then brings us to the last item

4:18:12on our deliberative agenda, item 6.8,

4:18:14resolution regarding a Burling regarding

4:18:17Burlington forward. Uh, on this item,

4:18:19I'm going to pass the gavvel to

4:18:21councelor Barlo. And councelor Barlo, do

4:18:23you want to switch seats here? I think

4:18:26that makes sense. Yeah.

4:18:46This one processing cameras, right?

4:18:49Processing cameras.

4:18:52>> Is that what I was doing?

4:19:03Thank you. Um,

4:19:07so on this item, I'm going to uh turn to

4:19:11councelor Travers um to introduce it and

4:19:16perhaps make a motion if one's in order.

4:19:20>> Thank you, Council Barlo. I would before

4:19:22asking for the floor back move to strike

4:19:24all and replace the original Burlington

4:19:25forward resolution with the revised

4:19:27version posted on civic clerk.

4:19:30>> Is there a second to that motion?

4:19:33>> Second.

4:19:34>> Okay. Um is there debate on that? Is

4:19:38anybody wants to speak to this?

4:19:40>> I'll ask for the floor back. Acting

4:19:42President Barlo.

4:19:43>> Okay.

4:19:44>> All right.

4:19:45>> Floor is yours.

4:19:46>> Great. Thank you, Acting President

4:19:47Barlo. The Burns Ford resolution was

4:19:50originally drafted by me and several

4:19:52Democratic colleagues. Given open

4:19:54meeting law considerations, drafting

4:19:56resolutions within individual caucuses

4:19:57or smaller groups of counselors has been

4:19:59a fairly standard practice in my

4:20:01experience. Contrary to some statements

4:20:03made, the original draft reflected input

4:20:05from public safety experts, social

4:20:07service leaders serving people

4:20:09experiencing homelessness and addiction,

4:20:11current and former elected officials,

4:20:13and many others. We circulated the

4:20:15original version of the full council in

4:20:16the mayor's office in July. We formally

4:20:18introduced it on August 3rd, and yes, we

4:20:22did so publicly and purposefully to give

4:20:24voice to growing frustration that we

4:20:26continue to struggle with public safety

4:20:28challenges plainly apparent to most in

4:20:30this city. We could have sought a vote

4:20:32on this item on August 3rd. We didn't.

4:20:35Recognizing this deserved extensive

4:20:37public debate, we referred it to four

4:20:38council committees and spent the past

4:20:40three months engaging in that process. I

4:20:42particularly want to thank councelor

4:20:44Sanchez Parkinson and the REI committee

4:20:46as well as our public safety CD CDNR and

4:20:49PAC committees uh whose work generated

4:20:51constructive feedback from the REI

4:20:53department, the Vermont racial justice

4:20:54alliance and many others, a meaningful

4:20:56amount of which is reflected in the

4:20:58revision before the council this

4:21:00evening. And to be clear, we are not

4:21:03seeking a final vote tonight. If this

4:21:05amendment passes, I'll move to postpone

4:21:07the resolution until December 7th, which

4:21:09I was clear about when I sent around the

4:21:11revised version last week. Also, last

4:21:14week, the mayor offered to meet for

4:21:15greater collaboration with councelor

4:21:17Shakar, me, and other council leaders.

4:21:19We welcomed that invitation on our

4:21:21Friday call last week, suggested finding

4:21:23time for real substantive meetings over

4:21:25the next six weeks to find common ground

4:21:28or to exhaust where we have fundamental

4:21:29disagreements. That remains our

4:21:32preferred path. But my sincere hope is

4:21:35that additional time produces more

4:21:37substantive responses because criticism

4:21:39alone is not a plan and obstruction will

4:21:42not deliver results. So why bring

4:21:45Burlington Forward back tonight? First,

4:21:48because I strongly believe public safety

4:21:49remains among the most pressing

4:21:50challenges facing our community that

4:21:52expects this council to be discussing

4:21:54it. Second, because the revised

4:21:56resolution shows that when people offer

4:21:58constructive feedback, we have been

4:22:00listening. This revision strengthens

4:22:02civil rights and racial equity

4:22:04protections. It proposes exploring a

4:22:06community stabilization and diversion

4:22:07center recommended by a number of

4:22:09community stakeholders. It strengthens

4:22:12oversight of public space response teams

4:22:14and camera privacy protections. It adds

4:22:16safeguards for people experiencing

4:22:17homelessness and reinforces

4:22:19accountability and regional

4:22:20responsibility. These are meaningful

4:22:22changes and there is no doubt more work

4:22:24to be done. There's more work to be done

4:22:26in conversations to be had including on

4:22:28feedback we've previously received. But

4:22:30any amendments will continue to preserve

4:22:32the resolution's fundamental objectives.

4:22:34Safer public spaces, stronger

4:22:36accountability, more pathways to housing

4:22:39and recovery, and greater regional

4:22:41responsibility.

4:22:42While collaboration is always the goal,

4:22:45we all also have a responsibility to

4:22:47call out when strategies are not

4:22:49working. Despite increased public safety

4:22:52taxes, we have fewer public officer,

4:22:54police officers, and civilian staff than

4:22:55we did three years ago. The hotspot

4:22:58strategy that's talked about quite some

4:23:00provides a targeted temporary response

4:23:02to what are chronic citywide problems.

4:23:05The city circle initiative has failed to

4:23:07deliver meaningful accountability. And

4:23:08as winter approaches, we again have just

4:23:11identified one emergency cold weather

4:23:13shelter for our community.

4:23:15And to those claiming Burlington Forward

4:23:17is funded by millionaires or represents

4:23:19some far-right effort to criminalize

4:23:21homelessness, I ask you to consider the

4:23:23fact that Burlington Forward is the one

4:23:24resolution before this council calling

4:23:26for expanded shelter treatment,

4:23:28recovery, and housing resources. Having

4:23:30the Miller Center in the New North End

4:23:32identified as the only emergency cold

4:23:33weather shelter as the weather turns

4:23:35cold is unacceptable. Burlington Forward

4:23:38has asked that we do more, including

4:23:40discussion on how this very building

4:23:41that we sit in now could serve as

4:23:43emergency space for those in need. I

4:23:46reject the notion that Burlington cannot

4:23:48do better. We can think more creatively

4:23:50about supplementing our police

4:23:51department with additional public safety

4:23:53resources while addressing long-term

4:23:54staffing challenges. And for those

4:23:56questioning whether or not we have the

4:23:58resources resources to do it, the board

4:24:00of finance received a presentation

4:24:01tonight that the police department has a

4:24:03$ 1.5 million budget surplus in

4:24:06significant part because we have failed

4:24:08to hire additional officers. We can do

4:24:10more to enforce existing laws. We can

4:24:12invest in more community programming. We

4:24:14can work harder to expand our emergency

4:24:16shelter capacity. We can support proven

4:24:18public health responses to addiction

4:24:20that help people move toward treatment

4:24:22and recovery while also supporting our

4:24:24local economy.

4:24:26Burlington wants action, our residents

4:24:28and our small businesses. I reject the

4:24:30notion that to the extent we talk about

4:24:33businesses in this community, that we're

4:24:36talking about rich folks and

4:24:37millionaires and billionaires. You know,

4:24:39most of the small businesses downtown

4:24:41are folks who are invested in this

4:24:42community, residents in this community,

4:24:44folks who have invested their uh heart

4:24:47and soul uh into these businesses who

4:24:49are struggling to get by. Just as we sat

4:24:51here this evening, Vermont Pub and

4:24:53Brewery posted that they are closing. I

4:24:56am tired of week in and week out are

4:24:59hearing from businesses that are

4:25:00vacating our downtown, are hearing from

4:25:02folks that are moving their operations

4:25:04to South Burlington or Williston,

4:25:06hearing from community members who are

4:25:07no longer uh bringing their families and

4:25:10their kids downtown or to our parks or

4:25:12to our waterfront. I welcome

4:25:14collaboration, substantive alternatives,

4:25:16and continued debate. But abandoning

4:25:19Burlington forward without proposing

4:25:21another path other than the status quo,

4:25:23I believe means abandoning our

4:25:25responsibility to this community, which

4:25:27is why I brought this amended version

4:25:28forward, which is why I ask for this

4:25:30council support. Which is why I look

4:25:32forward to ongoing discussion and

4:25:33collaboration on it, and which is why

4:25:35once we vote on this amendment, I will

4:25:37be voting to I will be moving to

4:25:39postpone the item to provide us

4:25:41additional time to do that work. Thank

4:25:42you, Acting President Barlo.

4:25:45>> Thank you, Councelor Travers. Uh,

4:25:49is there anyone else who wants to speak

4:25:50to the amend amendment?

4:25:57>> Councelor Shakar, go ahead.

4:25:59>> Thank you, acting president Barlo. Um, I

4:26:03just wanted to jump in and share a few

4:26:05remarks. Um, I think it's undeniable

4:26:08that our city is facing significant

4:26:11challenges. Um, and really complex and

4:26:14painful challenges. We have multiple uh

4:26:17crises uh facing folks in our community

4:26:21from our severe shortage of affordable

4:26:23housing to uh the extent of our

4:26:25substance use crisis and the number of

4:26:28folks experiencing mental illness and

4:26:30other uh debilitating issues. Um and I

4:26:33think uh this for me the spirit in which

4:26:37this is being brought forward is saying

4:26:39this is our vibrancy is being seriously

4:26:42challenged. There's so much uh facing

4:26:44our community right now. Let's find ways

4:26:47to think creatively and come together

4:26:49and try some some things that I think

4:26:52are worthy of discussion in addition to

4:26:54all the great work that's already being

4:26:56done. Um, but there's a real sense of

4:26:58urgency in this moment and I'm really

4:27:01grateful for and I want to thank I've

4:27:03taken a lot of meetings over the last

4:27:04three months both uh the committee

4:27:06meetings I've participated in as well as

4:27:09um folks who've reached out outside of

4:27:11committee to meet one-on-one. It's been

4:27:13community members, representatives of

4:27:15social service organizations, city

4:27:17staff, council colleagues um to really

4:27:20take a lot of feedback to heart. Uh it a

4:27:23lot of that is reflected in the amended

4:27:25version that we're voting to um uh use

4:27:29as the working draft uh this evening. Um

4:27:32I also want to name and I acknowledge

4:27:34not all of the feedback has been

4:27:36incorporated. Um I can't speak fully

4:27:38about for some of that, but what I can

4:27:40say is it also feels like there's some

4:27:42really big and important topics. I'm

4:27:44thinking about the racial justice

4:27:46allianc's feedback in particular where a

4:27:48lot of that work around our progress

4:27:50towards um racial justice and some of

4:27:52the outstanding concerns in the

4:27:54community feels like its own standalone

4:27:56effort. I almost feel like I would worry

4:27:58it would be diluted if we tried to make

4:28:00it all work within this existing

4:28:01resolution. I think there's really

4:28:03important work and conversations that

4:28:05have to continue. Um and I think it's

4:28:08hard to figure out how to fit all of

4:28:10them into this resolution as it

4:28:12currently stands. Um, I also want to

4:28:15name that I am firmly committed to

4:28:17continuing to do this in a collaborative

4:28:19way and to working with the mayor and

4:28:21all of my council colleagues um, in good

4:28:25faith to keep working through some of

4:28:27the challenges and some of the existing

4:28:28concerns. I think Burlington deserves

4:28:31that we set partisanship aside. I've

4:28:34often said I wish I didn't have to be

4:28:36even affiliated with a party. I want to

4:28:38work with anyone who wants to work with

4:28:40me to improve life here in Burlington. I

4:28:43believe that there's far more areas of

4:28:45common ground in this resolution than

4:28:47there are areas of concern and

4:28:50disagreement and that we can start from

4:28:52that place and work together through

4:28:54some of the messier parts or some of the

4:28:56parts folks have more questions about.

4:28:57So, I really want to channel Andrew

4:29:00Champagne uh as I close my remarks to

4:29:02say let's find ways to sit down together

4:29:04and keep working through this. I fully

4:29:06support uh postponing until December

4:29:087th. Uh the my that invitation on my

4:29:11part is very genuine. I feel like I've

4:29:13responded to uh the vast vast vast if

4:29:16not all of the folks who've reached out

4:29:18asking me to to sit down one-on-one and

4:29:19talk this through. So, um I'll stop

4:29:22there, but I just want to uh thank

4:29:24everyone who's engaged so far.

4:29:26acknowledge there's still work to do and

4:29:28that uh I hope we can find ways to sort

4:29:31of set partisanship aside in the spirit

4:29:33of good faith collaboration on really

4:29:35important work. Thanks.

4:29:38>> Thank you, Councelor Shakar. Councelor

4:29:39Bergman.

4:29:41>> Thank you. Um despite having serious

4:29:44critiques from the very first whereas

4:29:49including the current

4:29:51to the very last resolved I want to

4:29:55spend my time on two parts the OPC and

4:29:58the process. Now, on the OPC, the

4:30:02unmended and the new language continues

4:30:06to be problematic, and the mayor is

4:30:09absolutely right in criticizing your

4:30:12proposal for preventing the placement of

4:30:14OPC services, which include expanded

4:30:17recovery services in an entire section

4:30:20of the city. Even if the site works,

4:30:23even if all the objectives in the phased

4:30:26approach we approved over a year ago are

4:30:28met

4:30:30without any data or evidence to support

4:30:33this flatout ban. Ironically, you claim

4:30:37to support accessible, and I'm quoting

4:30:39now, accessible

4:30:41evidence-based public health initiatives

4:30:44that improve individual and community

4:30:46health and a transparent process under

4:30:48the zoning ordinance to permit them.

4:30:50Yet, this preemptively takes a whole

4:30:53part of the city off the table, even if

4:30:56it is evidence-based and other zoning

4:30:58and meets other zoning requirements.

4:31:02No hearings in the committees, not even

4:31:04on the non- amended parts, no line by

4:31:07line to compare this with our prior

4:31:09actions. And I've just spent the last

4:31:12two or three of our sessions explaining

4:31:15how we can do this, right?

4:31:18No committee endorsement of the changes

4:31:20that we're debating tonight or

4:31:23affirmation of the existing language and

4:31:26ignoring people most affected and the

4:31:28most involved in the mutual aid that

4:31:30we're needing to do in this city.

4:31:33The August resolution called for the

4:31:35committees to recommend amendments. They

4:31:37didn't. I remind us that we are

4:31:41unanimous that we unanimously approved

4:31:43the OPC project proposal and its

4:31:46operating guidelines on April 28th,

4:31:482025. And those guidelines require a

4:31:51phased approach of up to a year before

4:31:54any supervised consumption is allowed.

4:31:58We'll get recovery services, medical

4:32:00care, sharps disposal, case management,

4:32:03and more if an expanded well staffed and

4:32:07trained facility is opened. Community,

4:32:10city, and state engagement and legal

4:32:13oversight is there. It's part of the

4:32:15process to guarantee that the OPC meets

4:32:18its vision to improve personal and

4:32:21community health and safety. A year ago

4:32:24in August, we unanimously accepted the

4:32:27grant for the OPC. The president the

4:32:30presentation unequivocally supported the

4:32:33effectiveness of OPC's. This new

4:32:35language that you're looking to to to

4:32:38impose

4:32:40undermines that the whole framework is

4:32:44being undermined. So much for the claim

4:32:46of having a compassionate databased

4:32:48approach to community health and safety.

4:32:51Furthermore, the citing consideration

4:32:54criteria amendment that we're seeing

4:32:57tonight creates a potentially endless

4:33:00politicized process in the DRB if it

4:33:02becomes a permitted conditional use,

4:33:05which is more likely than not. This is a

4:33:08transparently

4:33:09passive aggressive way to kill the OPC

4:33:12before it can be cited. It reminds me of

4:33:15Grover Nyquest saying that he wants to

4:33:18shrink government to the size that he

4:33:19can kill it in a bathtub. I understand

4:33:22that the planning staff and the

4:33:24commission are currently working on

4:33:25making recommendations to us on this

4:33:28this resolution prematurely and

4:33:31inappropriately prejudices their work. I

4:33:34also have a concern with the sentence

4:33:36ostensibly finding that OPC's are not

4:33:38expressly stated as principal primary

4:33:41uses in the zoning ordinances and need

4:33:43to be. I have the same concern with the

4:33:46SSP section and this feels awfully close

4:33:49to the ways that the Republicans cut off

4:33:51access to abortion uh services in

4:33:55doctor's offices throughout the country

4:33:57the country. And I do not want that door

4:33:59opened. So, I would like a legal opinion

4:34:02on the implications of making such a

4:34:04finding, especially on the other medical

4:34:06services listed in the zoning ordinance.

4:34:10Let me just turn relatively briefly to

4:34:13process because process matters despite

4:34:16it being publicly dismissed this week

4:34:19because a representative democracy only

4:34:22works with an open and transparent

4:34:24process and real engagement with the

4:34:26representatives. Otherwise, we just

4:34:28replicate the problems in the Republican

4:34:30controlled Congress. The lack of

4:34:32engagement with our caucus and the

4:34:34mayor, the failure at the committee

4:34:37level shows why process matters and why

4:34:39the statement that the committees have

4:34:40had it for three months is empty

4:34:42political spin. Burlington deserves

4:34:45better.

4:34:47I have a final point on the failures of

4:34:49process and I sort of made this before.

4:34:52This resolution is like an ordinance.

4:34:54It's detailed with consequences. When I

4:34:57chair the ordinance committee, we go

4:34:58through it line by line and section by

4:35:00section from beginning to end. I pick

4:35:03the knits as well as look at the big

4:35:05picture and ask my colleagues to do the

4:35:07same and they do.

4:35:09This resolution needed to go through the

4:35:11same process. The committees didn't. It

4:35:15didn't. I hear the complaint that we

4:35:17progressives didn't offer amendments,

4:35:19although I have now pointed out three

4:35:21specific areas on a particular one. But

4:35:24unlike what we do in the ordinance

4:35:25committee, the committees didn't create

4:35:27the space for that to happen. And what's

4:35:29worse, we had a new version dropped on

4:35:32October 19th, just one week ago, that

4:35:34didn't come out of any committee and was

4:35:36not re being reviewed by any in any

4:35:39detail by any committee. And the version

4:35:41my caucus got just a week ago was

4:35:43changed in the posted version on Friday

4:35:46without any call or email to alert me.

4:35:50This feels like a shell game.

4:35:53The deletions show how wrong the

4:35:55original proc proposal was. The

4:35:58additions show how inadequate the

4:36:00initial outreach was.

4:36:07The remaining problems show how

4:36:09defective their process continues to be

4:36:12failing to engage the mayor,

4:36:13progressives, or the community in a

4:36:15systemic and systematic and sustained

4:36:18better uh manner. We deserve better.

4:36:24>> Thank you, Councelor Bergman. Who else

4:36:25would like to speak to this resolution?

4:36:28Councelor Mcnite.

4:36:33So, it's been a while since this

4:36:35resolution was introduced back in July,

4:36:37and I just want to remind folks how we

4:36:40got here and um draw also draw our

4:36:43attention to a lot of the language that

4:36:44gets thrown back and forth forward

4:36:47versus backward. Um because the origin

4:36:51of that is really tied into the language

4:36:54that we're using. So, as I see it,

4:36:58Burlington Forward was created in

4:37:00response to a press conference where the

4:37:02mayor proclaimed in June that Burlington

4:37:05is back. And that announcement went on

4:37:09to be followed by one of the worst

4:37:11summers in our downtown that many of us

4:37:13have ever seen. And so a lot of us

4:37:16sitting here heard from our

4:37:17constituents, Burlington residents, our

4:37:20neighbors who are asking us, "Wait a

4:37:23minute, how how can we be back when we

4:37:27still have so far to go when I walk out

4:37:31the door of this very building and I see

4:37:34so many problems that we're not

4:37:36solving." And so that's really the point

4:37:38of Burlington Forward. We're not back.

4:37:41We still have a lot of work to do. And

4:37:43what we're doing right now is not

4:37:45working as well as it needs to be

4:37:47working.

4:37:48And bringing new ideas forward,

4:37:51questioning policies that aren't

4:37:53working, and offering proactive

4:37:55alternatives is our job as counselors.

4:37:59So, you don't have to agree with

4:38:01everything in the resolution, but it

4:38:03doesn't mean that those ideas are not

4:38:05worth debating. That's the whole point

4:38:07of us being here. And I'm really just so

4:38:09tired of my colleagues across the table

4:38:12using their time here to critique

4:38:14process and claim that things are

4:38:17politicized while our city is going down

4:38:19the tubes right outside our door and

4:38:23they're never bringing those alternative

4:38:25ideas to the table. I mean, do you

4:38:26really think things are going well or do

4:38:29you just not have new ideas to propose?

4:38:32Or do you just prefer to spend your time

4:38:34and your energy talking about process

4:38:37instead of actually doing something?

4:38:39That is the better that Burlington

4:38:42deserves. And I agree, Burlington

4:38:44deserves better. In the three years I

4:38:46have been here, I have watched this

4:38:49unfold time after time, meeting after

4:38:52meeting. And honestly, it's blown my

4:38:54mind since the first time. I'm not used

4:38:56to showing up in places where I have a

4:38:59leadership position and having

4:39:01colleagues come to the table with

4:39:03nothing to offer. I'm not I'm still not

4:39:05used to it and I don't think I ever will

4:39:06be used to it. I'm also really

4:39:09frustrated by some of what we've heard

4:39:10tonight because a lot of it is simply

4:39:12not true and it's just misleading and

4:39:16unfair to the public. We have a member

4:39:18of the public who said they have spent a

4:39:21hundred hours attending meetings and

4:39:23going over notes on this topic. I

4:39:25personally sat through many of those

4:39:26hours alongside you and I'm glad that so

4:39:28many members of the public engaged on

4:39:31this topic. I've read pages and pages of

4:39:33email back and forths and documents that

4:39:36were developed in collaboration with the

4:39:38mayor's administration and staff. The

4:39:41amendments that we have tonight are

4:39:43informed by all of those committee

4:39:45meetings. So to hear that the

4:39:46administration wasn't consulted, that we

4:39:49didn't respect the committee process is

4:39:51just not true. I was there. I saw the

4:39:53work that went into it. And I don't

4:39:55think it's okay to pretend those

4:39:56conversations never happened just

4:39:58because you don't like what came out of

4:40:00it. We can disagree about the substance.

4:40:02We can disagree about the amendments

4:40:04that came out of it. And that's fine.

4:40:06But we should at least be honest about

4:40:08all the work that went into it, which

4:40:10was substantial.

4:40:14At the end of the day, I think our

4:40:15residents just want us to actually make

4:40:16progress and I would really love to see

4:40:18us do some of that. Thank you.

4:40:21>> Thank you, Councelor Mcnite.

4:40:24Who else would like to get in the queue?

4:40:29>> Councelor Singh, go ahead again. And I

4:40:31misspoke to councelor Mcnite. We're

4:40:33debating the amendment, not the

4:40:35underlying resolution, I guess. Yes. Go

4:40:37ahead. Is yours.

4:40:39>> Thank you uh very much. You know, and

4:40:43You know, I have to agree with my

4:40:45colleagues here is that most of

4:40:47Burlington wants us to do something. Um,

4:40:50and they want us to do better. You know,

4:40:52I have to disagree with, you know, I

4:40:55have a lot of respect for councelor

4:40:56Bergman. I don't believe these deletions

4:41:00um, show that the original resolution

4:41:03was fatally flawed. I think it shows a

4:41:06real commitment on our part to be

4:41:08accommodating to what we've heard. Um,

4:41:12and I think that's important to

4:41:13recognize. It's it's not necessarily

4:41:16what it was something proposed. People

4:41:19have spoken to us and we've offered some

4:41:22accommodations. You know, there's a lot

4:41:24of things that we have taken out, you

4:41:26know, that I don't necessarily agree

4:41:27with. Um but in a show of good faith,

4:41:31you know, I I don't believe in a lot of

4:41:33instances that commerce and a lot of

4:41:37these social services work well in this

4:41:40in the same part of the city. A lot of

4:41:42times these um types of services are in

4:41:46conflict with each other and it causes

4:41:49both to be unsuccessful. So even if we

4:41:52try to do um these type of things close

4:41:55to where commerce is just the fact that

4:41:58there is a lot of push back on that is

4:42:00going to cause it you know the ability

4:42:02for these type of things to be

4:42:04successful. I'm not against, you know,

4:42:07the SSPs or or mutual aid, but where

4:42:11they happen in our city, I think is an

4:42:14important conversation to have. Um

4:42:16because we want them to be successful in

4:42:19helping people, but at the same time, we

4:42:23have to not put that in conflict with

4:42:25other things that need to go on in this

4:42:27city. Um, you know, I I really believe

4:42:30we can do better and I I know the

4:42:33citizens of Burlington want us to do

4:42:35better. They see this happening, you

4:42:38know, every year. You know, I talked to

4:42:41and I've said this before and I'll say

4:42:42it again. You know, when you know,

4:42:44parents don't want their kids seeing

4:42:46open drug use um and these type of

4:42:50things in front of their children and it

4:42:53does affect development of children. I'm

4:42:55I'm glad that was put in in the

4:42:57resolution recognizing that those are

4:42:59important things that we need to

4:43:00recognize. Um you know and I would also

4:43:03say you know that there's a famous woman

4:43:06who said you must do the thing you think

4:43:09you cannot do. And every time we tell

4:43:12ourselves we cannot do something we have

4:43:14to look back and turn around and say we

4:43:17can do it. And I think that's what this

4:43:19is about is that we can do better and

4:43:21this city deserves better. And I think

4:43:24all of the people that call this place

4:43:26home deserve a lot better.

4:43:30>> Thank you, councelor Sang. Who else

4:43:32would like to get in the queue?

4:43:36>> On the amendment as proposed by

4:43:38councelor Travers,

4:43:40councelor Sanchez Parkinson, go ahead.

4:43:44>> Thank you.

4:43:46Um,

4:43:49recently I've been thinking a lot about

4:43:52um, like psychological exercises and

4:43:57particularly as it relates to how

4:44:01um,

4:44:03as a person of color, you see Black

4:44:06Lives Matter, you see, you know,

4:44:09commitment to justice.

4:44:12And from those same people, you see a

4:44:16different action. Um, and that is just

4:44:19how I navigate the city. Honestly, it's

4:44:22a it's a daily psychological exercise

4:44:26where I see the symbols and I see the

4:44:29right words and yet my experience does

4:44:33not align with that. And it's a

4:44:35constant. I've as a mother I train my

4:44:40children to understand those

4:44:43psychological exercises because I don't

4:44:46want them to be fooled by the realities

4:44:48of what they will face when they go out

4:44:51and navigate the world.

4:44:53And this process to me has been a

4:44:56psychological exercise. It's been a

4:44:59process of dropping this 20 plus page

4:45:04document while I'm in a public safety

4:45:07committee as a member of the public

4:45:09safety committee

4:45:11and the next day being told we want to

4:45:14collaborate with you. um it is sending a

4:45:20revised version

4:45:22the morning on a Monday morning when I'm

4:45:24starting work and by the evening telling

4:45:28me we want to collaborate with you. To

4:45:31me that's a psychological exercise that

4:45:34actually I've had to use the skill sets

4:45:36of navigating this city as a person of

4:45:40color. Um, and I didn't think I was

4:45:43necessarily have to need those skills in

4:45:45this way. And I share this because um,

4:45:50I've had I've put that aside so that I

4:45:52can actually engage in the process, but

4:45:54I acknowledge that that is happening.

4:45:57Um,

4:45:59the process has been mentioned a number

4:46:01of times and and I wasn't going to focus

4:46:03on the process, but I just also want to

4:46:05make some corrections. Um, I have

4:46:08offered very concrete feedback and

4:46:11there's been multiple times that has

4:46:12been said that there's only been

4:46:14critiques from this side of the table

4:46:16and not real engagement of this

4:46:19resolution. Um I want to name

4:46:23specifically um councelor Singh who

4:46:26offered that two or three meetings of

4:46:30engagement

4:46:32um with this resolution and this

4:46:34proposal and I want to thank councelor

4:46:38um Travers who attended the last meeting

4:46:41and that comment was made again that we

4:46:44were not offering concrete feedback and

4:46:47I responded by saying have you listened

4:46:51to the recordings from those public

4:46:53safety committees and your response was

4:46:56I have read the minutes. I just went

4:46:58back to look at the minutes to confirm

4:47:00because I had been seeing this but just

4:47:03for the record the minutes from those

4:47:05discussions that we have in public

4:47:07safety say the committee discussed their

4:47:10approach and further changes to the

4:47:11Burlington forward resolution in

4:47:13preparation for the city council report

4:47:16due Monday. No action taken. So, if the

4:47:20sponsors and the authors of this

4:47:21resolution and are going off of the

4:47:23minutes and not substantially

4:47:26um

4:47:28engaging with what happened in those

4:47:31committees, to me that's not substant

4:47:34that's to me has been a waste of my time

4:47:36honestly. Um, I

4:47:40have been to three I was in three of the

4:47:42committees that review this and I did

4:47:45barely saw any of um other counselors

4:47:48attend those meetings. Um, so I just

4:47:51want to make that note because I I I

4:47:55would welcome any corrections if folks

4:47:57have been engaging in that. Um, I will

4:48:01now focus more on some of the content

4:48:03and and spend a little bit of time

4:48:05there. I think that um I will just

4:48:11based on time I think that there are

4:48:13just a number of very underdeveloped

4:48:15ideas throughout this proposal. Um I

4:48:18appreciate the thinking around we need

4:48:20new innovative creative ideas and I am

4:48:23all for that. I like love a good

4:48:26brainstorming session. Um and would

4:48:28welcome that and would honestly welcome

4:48:31that. Um I think that there are ideas

4:48:34that have been proposed and I have

4:48:36explicitly asked what counselor from the

4:48:40sponsoring from those who sponsored this

4:48:42resolution

4:48:44would like to further engage with this

4:48:46idea for example the public space

4:48:48response team. I've been curious to know

4:48:51who can I speak with who and and and

4:48:55there's been silence and so again I am

4:48:59more than I've been offering this

4:49:01multiple times to dive deeper into some

4:49:04of these ideas because I very very

4:49:06troubling of how underdeveloped they are

4:49:09and I would welcome uh further

4:49:11engagement. Um I just cannot continue to

4:49:15move forward and engaging with this

4:49:17document in a way that lumps a number of

4:49:22uh ideas, proposals um that just have

4:49:26not been worked through. They've not

4:49:27been worked through the committees. Um

4:49:29we have not considered them

4:49:31substantially. Um we have not considered

4:49:34funding or the implementation of it. and

4:49:36then I'm supposed to engage with it and

4:49:39and potentially um move forward with

4:49:42this entire resolution. I just I don't

4:49:45see a world in which this that would be

4:49:47intellectually

4:49:48um appropriate.

4:49:51I also just want to name um that given

4:49:55what we've discussed related to the

4:49:57process there this is also I mean again

4:50:01going back to the psychological exercise

4:50:03I'm not going to be fooled that this is

4:50:05not a camp branding campaign the way

4:50:08that it was released the way that it's

4:50:09been engaged the the entire process um

4:50:13is an entire branding campaign which

4:50:16cost has cost division and doesn't allow

4:50:18us as humans to deeply engage the

4:50:21content of this resolution. Um, and so I

4:50:24would welcome a space in which we can

4:50:27genuinely and creatively and an

4:50:28innovatively work together to explore

4:50:31those solutions to explore what is

4:50:33possible. Council Travers, I'm I'm glad

4:50:36to hear that there is funding

4:50:38potentially available. I actually had

4:50:40written that in one of my notes on

4:50:42earlier meeting because I think that

4:50:44there is great opportunities to explore

4:50:46that. The last point that I'll make um

4:50:49is related to the comments uh around

4:50:53racial e equity

4:50:57um being a larger project

4:51:00that may not fit into understanding this

4:51:04proposal. I mean to me a there's a

4:51:07failure of developing well-informed

4:51:10policy particularly public safety policy

4:51:14if we do not at the same time consider

4:51:17racial equity it would be a flawed way

4:51:20to develop policy if we don't center

4:51:22racial equity and any public safety

4:51:25policy. Thank you.

4:51:27>> Thank you councelor Sanchez Parkinson.

4:51:33Who else would like to speak to the to

4:51:35the amendment?

4:51:37Councelor Grant, go ahead.

4:51:42All right.

4:51:44As someone who is frequently silenced,

4:51:48as someone whose work is criticized, and

4:51:53um back during the controversy of the

4:51:55text messages, there were messages that

4:51:58were saying that, "Oh, she really didn't

4:52:00do that work. It's not true

4:52:05when there's proof in meetings that are

4:52:08recorded, when there's proof in

4:52:11resolutions that were created.

4:52:14So, the statement that people don't

4:52:17bring ideas

4:52:20is gravely offensive and it shows how

4:52:24dismissive uh some of us are of each

4:52:28other and that's got to change or

4:52:30nothing's going to get better. Looking

4:52:32at this process once again, I gonna keep

4:52:34saying it. It was presented without any

4:52:38collaboration with all city councilors,

4:52:41lived experience, people with lived

4:52:43experience, people in mutual aid, people

4:52:45in the social service agencies, these

4:52:47employees that are on the front line,

4:52:49the directors and the mayor.

4:52:52And when you say, "Oh, we did this

4:52:54engagement," but you don't say with who

4:52:58and we have all of these entities

4:53:02saying there was no engagement. You have

4:53:05to document that. So, for example, in

4:53:07the REI department when we had our

4:53:09meetings, we documented who was there.

4:53:14The public safety committee didn't do

4:53:16its job. We were the public safety

4:53:19committee. We should have been reviewing

4:53:21that from start to finish. We should

4:53:24have had more meetings. We certainly

4:53:27should have had detailed meetings with

4:53:30the police chief and the fire chief

4:53:34because if you're all upset about the

4:53:36Miller Center, that's a discussion with

4:53:38the fire chief. Who makes that decision?

4:53:42Is the Miller Center or is it one of the

4:53:44schools? You know, we've talked about

4:53:47that in the past.

4:53:49But we didn't have that detailed

4:53:51conversation.

4:53:53The handful of questions that councelor

4:53:56Sanchez Parkinson and I asked um at the

4:54:00last meeting were more like an

4:54:01afterthought and not a detailed

4:54:03conversation.

4:54:06And the discussion that we had to the

4:54:09points that were just made weren't

4:54:11clearly documented. And it was asked

4:54:14over and over again, how do you want the

4:54:17amendments to be submitted? Because they

4:54:20weren't fully worked through in

4:54:22committee.

4:54:24They weren't.

4:54:26And we got radio silence. There was no

4:54:29coordination of the committees.

4:54:37Money, money, money. There is nothing in

4:54:41here about how we're going to fund all

4:54:44of these things. And we want to be very

4:54:46careful about taking money away from the

4:54:49police department because we should

4:54:51still be concentrating

4:54:54on making sure not just police officers

4:54:58but the other positions that are open in

4:55:02the police department. Their priority

4:55:04should be to fill those first because we

4:55:07know the training that those positions

4:55:10would get rather than coming up with

4:55:12these other quote unquote response teams

4:55:15which are a nightmare to some people in

4:55:17our community.

4:55:19They don't trust who would just walk up

4:55:22and volunteer and do this work.

4:55:27And it will be a concern to our city

4:55:29employees and um our unions. And we have

4:55:32to think about that. Why aren't we

4:55:34thinking about that?

4:55:39It's an equity nightmare.

4:55:43I encourage all of you to review the

4:55:47work of the Cicero

4:55:50Institute.

4:55:52This is where the Trump administration

4:55:54is getting all of their ideas. You need

4:55:56to sit down and figure out

4:55:59why you've incorporated

4:56:02so many of these ideas that are far

4:56:06right

4:56:08and that's what scares people.

4:56:11You're not understanding why people are

4:56:14afraid of this.

4:56:18When we want to talk about status quo,

4:56:21you were advised previously

4:56:24from people in the old north end what

4:56:26was happening to us.

4:56:30You were advised, previous

4:56:32administration was advised, the previous

4:56:34police chief was advised repeatedly.

4:56:37There is meeting after meeting after

4:56:39meeting. He did nothing.

4:56:42Instead, he was voted on repeatedly.

4:56:51So don't you know we're looking at work

4:56:55being sabotaged

4:57:01while saying oh we have to change the

4:57:04status quo. You've actually been

4:57:05fighting for the status quo.

4:57:08We know we don't have money. We don't

4:57:10have enough money. There is no social

4:57:12service agency that has been fully

4:57:14funded. Period. How do we not all

4:57:16understand that

4:57:19we don't have enough affordable housing?

4:57:22How do we all not understand that

4:57:26if the root causes don't go away,

4:57:30then the problems that are resulting

4:57:32won't go away? How do we all not

4:57:35understand that? Now, someone's been uh

4:57:38talking about San Francisco. The one

4:57:39thing I'll say about San Francisco,

4:57:42there was uh private money that was

4:57:44given to the tune of $37

4:57:48million,

4:57:49right? So, we're not on the scale of San

4:57:52Francisco or some of these other cities

4:57:54that have substantially more money. We

4:57:57also need a statewide plan. What's

4:57:59happening here is happening across the

4:58:01state in multiple municipalities, and we

4:58:05do not have a statewide plan. The idea

4:58:09that we have to keep standing up

4:58:11shelters is ridiculous. We all should

4:58:15understand that.

4:58:19You know, regarding the cameras, I think

4:58:21I personally think we should be very

4:58:24careful about giving out uh locations of

4:58:27cameras. You know, we've already had

4:58:28some cameras that are vandalized, but

4:58:31the city already has hundreds of

4:58:32cameras, and that doesn't include

4:58:34cameras that are owned by residents and

4:58:37businesses and property owners. We don't

4:58:39have any flock. We don't want any flock.

4:58:42We did vote back in May uh for the use

4:58:45of the Ames parking management software.

4:58:48Did everybody forget that? Because we

4:58:50did that.

4:58:54Now, that's going to be affected by uh a

4:58:56new Vermont law that's going to go in

4:58:59effect. I think it's July 1st of 2027.

4:59:01So, we'll have to come back and look at

4:59:02that. But, we already did that. So, why

4:59:04are we saying we're not going to have it

4:59:05when we already did that? We voted on

4:59:07that. It just seems silly.

4:59:11I do believe um the the word

4:59:14collaboration right now, it just makes

4:59:16me physically ill because this process

4:59:18has not been collaborating. You can't

4:59:21keep keep saying collaborating and then

4:59:24you not collaborating. There was no

4:59:25collaboration. There was no

4:59:27coordination. And uh to the the point,

4:59:31we're so emotionally invested with the

4:59:34hours

4:59:36that we did. I think 40 45 hours in

4:59:39August for myself and councelor Sanchez

4:59:42Parkinson and then no more meetings and

4:59:46then no no again coordination about how

4:59:50to submit the concerns and complete the

4:59:53review process. There was radio silence

4:59:56and that is a problem and you need to go

4:59:58to leadership and you need to say why

5:00:00that was happening and you need not to

5:00:04criticize this will be the last thing I

5:00:06see you see you councelor Barlo um yeah

5:00:10would I have used the term Burlington is

5:00:11back but I am not going to fault a mayor

5:00:14that's going out there

5:00:17putting our best foot forward

5:00:20to say to people Burlington is a

5:00:23beautiful, welcoming place. Do we have

5:00:25problems? Yes. But a lot of other places

5:00:28do

5:00:30>> and encouraging people to come to our

5:00:33city.

5:00:34>> Thank you, Councelor Grant.

5:00:35>> Why is she the only one doing that?

5:00:38>> Thank you, Councelor Grant. Are we ready

5:00:40to go to a vote on the amendment?

5:00:45>> Do you do you want to speak to the

5:00:46amendment? Go ahead, Carter.

5:00:50Oh, and then and then we'll have

5:00:51councelor Carpenter

5:00:53>> and the mayor. Sorry.

5:00:55>> I do just want to the mayor also.

5:00:57>> And the mayor. Okay, fair enough. Go

5:00:59ahead. Floor is yours.

5:01:02>> Um, thank you. You know, I I do just

5:01:05want to pause for a second and say that

5:01:07um without getting into process,

5:01:10although I know we've all touched on it,

5:01:12um I think the majority of residents are

5:01:14watching this meeting and probably

5:01:17really frustrated that it seems like we

5:01:19are a dysfunctional body that can't work

5:01:21together. And one of my core

5:01:24frustrations without getting into all

5:01:26the details is that this resolution took

5:01:31arguably one of the most charged issues

5:01:33in our community over the last number of

5:01:34years. Certainly, we've spent the most

5:01:36time on it in committees and on this

5:01:38council and further brought us along uh

5:01:43the path of dysfunction

5:01:46um and divisiveness in the community.

5:01:48And obviously we're going to have

5:01:50differences on like, you know, what that

5:01:52looks like, but I think that's pretty

5:01:54clear. And to my mind, that's the

5:01:56opposite of leadership and certainly the

5:01:59opposite of what we need in the mayor's

5:02:00office. Um,

5:02:03there's so many things on a substantive

5:02:05level that are halfbaked,

5:02:10not thought through. The entire proposal

5:02:13through this entire process has not been

5:02:14funded. I do want to sort of pick on one

5:02:17piece as an example of what I'm talking

5:02:19about.

5:02:21One of the new additions in this uh

5:02:23version is the community stabilization

5:02:25and diversion center. This was added

5:02:27about a week ago now. Um and it talks

5:02:31about you know this center that sounds

5:02:34great if you don't think about it too

5:02:36long in terms of its application here in

5:02:39the city. Um it says according to the

5:02:41city council accordingly the city

5:02:43council expresses it support exploring

5:02:45the establishment or expansion of a

5:02:47community stabilization diversion center

5:02:50modeled after programs in San Francisco,

5:02:52California, Austin, Texas, Albuquerque,

5:02:54New Mexico.

5:02:56We are not Austin, Texas. We don't have

5:03:00the resources. We

5:03:03what you are describing here, one

5:03:05already exists over on Pine Street in

5:03:07some form. There's no mention of that.

5:03:09is a much smaller version, but there's

5:03:12no mention of the state's work

5:03:13whatsoever in relation to this. It is

5:03:16very much related to what's being

5:03:17described. Um,

5:03:21and I think that that's sort of at the

5:03:22heart of it. It's like take the existing

5:03:24work, whether it's this administration,

5:03:26whether it's social service providers,

5:03:27whether it's the police department,

5:03:28whether it's the fire department,

5:03:30whether it's the state, the little that

5:03:31they do do for our community. quite

5:03:33frankly ignore the actual landscape and

5:03:36then throw ideas out that sound good on

5:03:39the campaign trail and in sound bites.

5:03:40And to me that is what's so frustrating

5:03:43and just like makes it so hard to

5:03:46engage. And so like we can debate like

5:03:48okay what's what is collaboration or

5:03:50like what's an appropriate process or

5:03:52whatever because you can structure work

5:03:54a million different ways.

5:03:57But that's kind of the point is that

5:03:59we've ignored a ton of the hard work

5:04:02that not only this city's been doing but

5:04:06again partners AC across the board and

5:04:08it's not a political question or like

5:04:11yeah it's just kind of silly frankly. Um

5:04:16I do want to point out the fact that

5:04:18once again this nothing in this proposal

5:04:21is adequately funded. I'm glad that sort

5:04:23of off-handing off-handedly in this

5:04:25meeting um the council president or

5:04:27non-acting council president said,

5:04:29"Well, there's a million dollar surplus

5:04:30over here." A million dollars does not

5:04:33even come close. It's a drop in the

5:04:36bucket to funding what's talked about in

5:04:38this resolution. I I mean, it's just

5:04:40it's it's ludicrous.

5:04:43It it's just detached from reality. Um,

5:04:46and I will say the the even more ironic

5:04:49part and frustrating part is that when a

5:04:51number of my colleagues across the aisle

5:04:53had the opportunity to vote on

5:04:56increasing the public safety tax, which

5:04:58is dedicated revenue

5:05:00to public and community safety, a number

5:05:04of you, including the non-acting but uh

5:05:06normally acting council president, voted

5:05:09against putting on the ballot to voters.

5:05:11So when you when the question of funding

5:05:13actually came up, you said, "No, I I

5:05:15don't want to put a question in front of

5:05:16voters uh investing millions of more

5:05:19dollars into public and community

5:05:20safety."

5:05:22It's and then coming back and saying,

5:05:24"Well, why aren't we doing all, you

5:05:26know, all these things? Why aren't we

5:05:28turning around and creating uh, you

5:05:31know, standing up?" I mean, there's

5:05:32public comment talking about Act One

5:05:33closing. Thank you, the state of

5:05:35Vermont. Yeah, Act One was a vital

5:05:37resource.

5:05:38the state's going in the opposite

5:05:40direction instead of working with all of

5:05:42us at this table because I do think we

5:05:45agree a lot more than we disagree even

5:05:47on issues of community safety. Um, you

5:05:51know, we we throw out resolutions

5:05:53thanking the governor and saying all the

5:05:55problems of uh that we're facing uh are

5:05:58are, you know, somehow the fault of this

5:06:01this progressive administration. I mean,

5:06:03we have more sympathy on this council

5:06:05from the majority for the Republican

5:06:07governor who's been gutting services for

5:06:09our community that are exacerbating

5:06:11these problems than we do for

5:06:14progressives because, god forbid we

5:06:15exist as a separate party or something.

5:06:17I mean, this stuff is silly. It's

5:06:18nonsubstantive. It's not serious

5:06:21governing and it's very like nakedly

5:06:24political. And I guess that's what's so

5:06:26frustrating. We can disagree. It's good

5:06:29to disagree. That's healthy and fine.

5:06:34But this is a joke. And you're right. At

5:06:36this point, it is really hard to

5:06:37motivate myself to spend time having

5:06:40these conversations because it feels

5:06:43like you're wasting my time and like

5:06:45insulting my intelligence as a human

5:06:47being.

5:06:48And and that doesn't mean that I don't

5:06:50care about public safety and that

5:06:52doesn't mean that I don't have urgency,

5:06:54you know, in in the community that I

5:06:56bought a house with my partner and I'm

5:06:57raising soon to be three kids.

5:07:02So whatever. I mean, we could keep doing

5:07:04this. This is one of many public safety

5:07:06resolutions that I I just feel like are

5:07:09silly that we keep entertaining over

5:07:10these last few years. I mean, Christ,

5:07:12the the former police chief didn't even

5:07:13have a recruitment plan. And then we we

5:07:17tal, you know, my counselor over there

5:07:18tal my friend over there talked about

5:07:20it. Um and then she was told she's anti

5:07:22police.

5:07:24We get someone in who has a serious

5:07:25recruitment plan who reorganizes how

5:07:27they're deploying police officers to

5:07:30increase visibility downtown. A core a

5:07:33core goal identified by our business

5:07:35community by hundreds of percent just by

5:07:38reorganizing existing resources.

5:07:42I mean you would think it never

5:07:44happened. I mean, it is the standards

5:07:46that the the intellectual sort of

5:07:48dishonesty

5:07:49of that as another example is just like

5:07:54I I just don't know what to say to it. I

5:07:56mean, it's just it's wild and it's like

5:07:58hard. It's it's so wild and so detached

5:08:01from reality. It's hard to communicate

5:08:03with constituents without getting

5:08:05frustrated. And rightfully, most people

5:08:07are looking at it like, "Yeah, I do just

5:08:08want you all to do something because

5:08:10they're not sitting in all these

5:08:11committee meetings. I didn't do that

5:08:12before I was on this council." and

5:08:14that's understandable. But um

5:08:17yeah, anyway, I'll stop ranting. I mean,

5:08:18this is just a waste of people's time

5:08:20and I I really do regret that this is

5:08:23how this council operates and this is

5:08:24the kind of leadership that our council

5:08:26president's demonstrated. Thank you,

5:08:29>> Councelor Newer. Um councelor Carpenter,

5:08:32go ahead.

5:08:34>> And then council that one.

5:08:35>> Yes. At this late hour, I won't go on

5:08:37long. I just want to make a couple of

5:08:39comments. Um we are um

5:08:43speaking about the amendment. The

5:08:45amendment was to um replace all and put

5:08:49the new revised version and um work on

5:08:53it until

5:08:55the December 7th or whatever the date

5:08:58was. A couple of points. I really really

5:09:01encourage us to look at the revised

5:09:03amendments

5:09:05version because that did take in a lot

5:09:07of input. And I I'm sitting here kind of

5:09:11a little dumbfounded when we don't

5:09:12acknowledge the amount of input that

5:09:15that says. Read the words, read what it

5:09:18says. And it does acknowledge it. We do

5:09:22need more time with it. And to take a

5:09:25month, I think is the right um decision

5:09:28point so that we can work on it

5:09:30together, work on it with the mayor. We

5:09:32will not solve all of the problems with

5:09:35homelessness. This resolution doesn't

5:09:37even intend to do that. This was really

5:09:39brought into effect the behav the

5:09:43behaviors that we are struggling with in

5:09:46the central business district. And

5:09:50as councelor New Beeser pointed out, can

5:09:53we reorganize resources

5:09:55um to affect some change? Some of those

5:09:59suggestions in the resolution will take

5:10:02new money for sure. part of our job

5:10:04should be to figure out what new money

5:10:06that is or not what new money how much

5:10:09would that be and then where would it

5:10:11come from and it probably won't come

5:10:12from the city of Burlington but we can

5:10:14wrap our head around it. So again I just

5:10:16encourage us to adopt this new

5:10:19resolution which did have a lot of input

5:10:22and allows us another month to try to

5:10:24collaborate more specifically with the

5:10:27mayor's office.

5:10:28Thank you, Councelor Carpenter. And you

5:10:30win the ongoing um

5:10:34prize for the shortest, most uh concise

5:10:38uh comment so far at a minute six. So,

5:10:40I'll go to councelor Litwin and then

5:10:42we'll go to councelor Brick and then

5:10:44we'll turn to the mayor and hopefully go

5:10:45to a vote.

5:10:48>> Acting President Barlo, I'd be happy to

5:10:50let councelor Broadick go to honor the

5:10:52back fourth. Back forth, we raised our

5:10:54hands at the same time or I can go. It's

5:10:56>> councelor Brick. would you like

5:10:58>> wanted to offer?

5:10:59>> Go ahead, council.

5:11:00>> Um, thank you. Um,

5:11:04a lot's been said. It's a late hour.

5:11:06We're never our best at a late hour. Um,

5:11:10I disagree with a lot of what's been

5:11:13said. I think there's been

5:11:14mischaracterizations.

5:11:16Um, and I thought a lot of what was said

5:11:21tonight by members of the public was all

5:11:24over the place, much of which had little

5:11:28connection to um, Burlington Forward.

5:11:32Um,

5:11:35the police were described as racist ICE

5:11:37collaborators on numerous occasions and

5:11:39there was an opposition to police

5:11:41presence downtown.

5:11:44Most of my residents that I represent

5:11:47would emphatically

5:11:49um disagree with that. Um feedback not

5:11:54being integrated doesn't mean it was

5:11:56ignored. It means it may not have been

5:11:58accepted

5:12:00to make that motion on the floor or at

5:12:02any other point in the process. Um, I

5:12:06have personally completely lost track of

5:12:09times the amount of times we've learned

5:12:10about the mayor's plans or actions

5:12:13through a press release. We learn about

5:12:16it when the media channels do. Um, this

5:12:19administration has a chief of staff, a

5:12:22deputy chief of staff, an administrative

5:12:24assistant, and 18 department heads they

5:12:27can lean on and engage with the

5:12:29legislative body.

5:12:31It is not only on us as counselors to

5:12:36engage the mayoral administration and

5:12:39say, "Well, three months has gone by and

5:12:41you haven't rolled out the red carpet

5:12:43for me."

5:12:45I have no emails from her or her staff

5:12:47asking for a meeting, wanting to engage,

5:12:50seeing where we can agree and

5:12:51collaborate, nothing.

5:12:54Um, I think that there has been a false

5:12:56and misleading narrative of non-

5:12:58collaboration. Numerous times members of

5:13:01these bodies have asked for meetings

5:13:04only to have them cancelled.

5:13:07When we're accused of not talking to

5:13:09people who are most affected, we never

5:13:11hear that uh that this is uh the

5:13:16recovery community mentioned. We never

5:13:19hear that. We we we never hear that

5:13:22people went to Turning Point. We never

5:13:24hear that people went to Heinberg Senior

5:13:27Center or somewhere and listened to

5:13:28elders. Okay. And

5:13:32you know, I am a little exhausted by

5:13:36this ongoing definition of who's most

5:13:38vulnerable.

5:13:40We have a lot of vulnerable people in

5:13:42our community

5:13:44and who's most deserving um of having

5:13:47their needs centered above all others.

5:13:51Where is the urgency for downtown

5:13:53residents? Where is the urgency for

5:13:54growing victims of crime? I've had to

5:13:56sit and take calls with from

5:13:59a woman having her toddler attempted to

5:14:02be grabbed out of her hands only to see

5:14:05no justice. She doesn't come downtown

5:14:06anymore. Another woman hit in the back

5:14:08of a head about 70 years old with a rock

5:14:11from somebody who just popped out from

5:14:13behind the parking garage. They sold

5:14:15their home and left Burlington.

5:14:18There were suggestions tonight that uh

5:14:20we should consult with Sam Bliss. I

5:14:23think that was the individual who did

5:14:24proclaimed that everybody shoplifts.

5:14:28I'm not particularly interested in

5:14:29seeking his wisdom out to guide my ab

5:14:31ability to govern fairly

5:14:36and leaving people outside to continue

5:14:38their drug use, feeding addiction

5:14:41through dealing theft, sex trafficking

5:14:45is not a solution. And I have heard

5:14:48nothing tonight that acknowledged this

5:14:50reality. When we talk about sexual

5:14:52assault and how BTV Forward won't help

5:14:55those people who are victims uh of such

5:14:57a horrific crime, uh there was an

5:14:59unhoused woman raped here and beaten a

5:15:02few months ago right in front of City

5:15:03Hall Park where we now have uh a

5:15:06portable camera. It was promptly defaced

5:15:09by ill-informed and self-serving

5:15:12activists.

5:15:14So I

5:15:17am interested in engaging and making the

5:15:21document as functional, as palatable

5:15:26uh as we possibly can for this

5:15:28administration that that wields all the

5:15:30authority that has all of the resources

5:15:33of the city at her hand.

5:15:35Um and and and just I guess to wrap up,

5:15:39you know, being on the public safety

5:15:41committee, we had Chief Burke there

5:15:42giving his presentation just a few days

5:15:44ago, and one of the things he pointed

5:15:47out in the data, which is available all

5:15:50on Civic Clerk, is that there was a huge

5:15:53drop off in tickets issued.

5:15:57And he said that the officers were

5:16:00feeling demoralized because they're

5:16:03handing out all these ordinance tickets

5:16:06to all these folks downtown and the

5:16:09folks who are receiving them are

5:16:10responding by,

5:16:12you know, crushing them up or saying

5:16:14they don't they don't have to comply

5:16:16with them. And when I asked, well, what

5:16:19do you mean accountability? because we

5:16:22heard from the CJC just a few meetings

5:16:25ago that city circle wasn't functional.

5:16:27It didn't work for the population

5:16:30because most of them didn't attend.

5:16:33Um the answer was that none none of the

5:16:37tickets were referred to the court by

5:16:40the city attorney's office. So

5:16:44and that was his response. So, um I

5:16:48don't believe that the plan that

5:16:52everything that this administration is

5:16:54is doing for public safety is accurate.

5:16:58Um and so that is why I think I was

5:17:02supportive of Burlington Forward when it

5:17:04came out. It was like great, let's

5:17:05finally start, you know, getting a bit

5:17:08more serious about um our businesses

5:17:12closing, our workers who are afraid to

5:17:14walk back to their cars. Um, this

5:17:16assertion that one person goes and

5:17:19interviews everybody on Church Street

5:17:20who works downtown and they all, you

5:17:23know, don't like it is very different

5:17:25from my experience when I talk to

5:17:27workers and high school students and

5:17:28college students who are experiencing

5:17:32um disturbing events in their store, who

5:17:35are afraid to take the trash out without

5:17:37an adult going with them or someone

5:17:40accompanying them and so on and so

5:17:42forth.

5:17:43Um, so I will leave that there tonight.

5:17:46But, um, you know, talk about

5:17:49collaboration with the mayor's office.

5:17:51This mayor can reach out to anyone at

5:17:53this table. This administration has that

5:17:56authority and she has the resources to

5:17:58do it while the rest of us have to go to

5:18:01work every day. I do as much as I can on

5:18:05my lunch breaks, on my evenings, on my

5:18:08weekends, as I did this weekend. and I

5:18:11have no invitation to have any

5:18:12conversation with this administration

5:18:15about Burlington Forward and I don't

5:18:17believe that that has been extended to

5:18:18many of my colleagues. Thank you.

5:18:21>> Thank you, Councelor Litwin. Councelor

5:18:22Broadick, you're the last to speak to

5:18:24this I think.

5:18:30Go ahead.

5:18:32Yep.

5:18:36Oh, and then the mayor, of course.

5:18:38Sorry.

5:18:40Go ahead, Councelor Broadick.

5:18:42>> Uh, thank you. Um,

5:18:48a lot's been said tonight. A lot from

5:18:51the public. Um, a lot here at this

5:18:53table. Um,

5:18:56I I was uh so I guess I'm not going to I

5:19:01don't know if I'm going to be able to to

5:19:02deliver what um

5:19:05might be the culmination of everything

5:19:07that we've heard tonight. I'm just going

5:19:08to do my part that I came here to talk

5:19:10about. Um, so, uh, what I find really

5:19:14hard, um, when we talk about, um, these

5:19:20public safety resolutions, um, at least

5:19:23most of them, um, I find it just really

5:19:26hard, um, to come up here every time

5:19:29that we talk about how, um, we're going

5:19:33to try to make it even harder to live in

5:19:35Burlington, one well, unhoused, and just

5:19:37say variation after variation of the

5:19:39exact same sentence of where do you go

5:19:42when there is where there's nowhere when

5:19:45there's nowhere else to go? Um

5:19:48it's not nearly as hard as living uh the

5:19:51consequences of those decisions, but

5:19:54it's hard. Um there's there's a lot in

5:19:58Burlington forward. Um not all of it is

5:20:01bad.

5:20:03Um

5:20:04I'm not a drug trafficking supporter.

5:20:08Um,

5:20:10and some of the amendments are good. I'm

5:20:12glad that mutual aid is no longer

5:20:14referenced, assuming these amendments

5:20:16pass. Um,

5:20:20um, but it's a 20page document that has

5:20:2320 pages worth of stuff in it. And

5:20:28um I as a decision maker, I

5:20:34I would not I'm not going to to vote for

5:20:39a policy that contains stuff that I like

5:20:44and stuff that I think is really

5:20:46dangerous.

5:20:47Um so I can acknowledge that there's

5:20:50stuff that is good in Burlington

5:20:52Forward, but that does not make me a

5:20:54supporter.

5:20:56um whether it's public space response

5:20:59teams with the ability to trespass

5:21:00people from public land for a broad and

5:21:03vague array of reasons. Continuing to

5:21:06push for breaking up encampments, which

5:21:09as we heard from a member of the public

5:21:11often results in making it harder for

5:21:13people to find housing because the

5:21:15people who are breaking up our

5:21:16encampments are destroying people's

5:21:17items and taking them. It's not good. um

5:21:22pushing harm reduction services out of

5:21:24the downtown core, directing more money

5:21:28to punitive law enforcement and

5:21:30surveillance.

5:21:32It all to me just goes back to that

5:21:34original sentence that I said, where do

5:21:36you go when there is nowhere else to go?

5:21:40Um,

5:21:42with a lot of these resolutions that

5:21:44I've spoken about and have said

5:21:46something to that effect, it

5:21:51want who I consider some of some of the

5:21:54most vulnerable members of our community

5:21:57um, gone

5:22:00at all costs.

5:22:02And that's not something that the

5:22:05general public has to accept. We hear it

5:22:09time and time again. It's not something

5:22:10that I'm going to accept.

5:22:14And I know that we are

5:22:18um talking about tackling crises that

5:22:21are bigger than Burlington and that

5:22:24require the state and other

5:22:25municipalities to be involved. Um, and

5:22:29sometimes it feels like that Burlington

5:22:32is the one that does have to set the

5:22:34agenda both for what the city does and

5:22:36for what those collaborations look like.

5:22:38Um, which is all the the more reason for

5:22:42us to set a model that

5:22:47attacks the root causes of disorder

5:22:53um, which is poverty, of course. Um, a

5:22:57housing and justice first model is the

5:23:01path to safety and security for all

5:23:05Burlingtononians. Funding shelters of

5:23:07all kinds will alleviate the suffering

5:23:10that we see and the suffering that we

5:23:13don't see across our city, especially in

5:23:15winter. Building more housing and

5:23:18ensuring that it is affordable and

5:23:19accessible to all will bring safety with

5:23:23it as housing is one of the most

5:23:24stabilizing influences that exists for a

5:23:28person, especially a person that is

5:23:30struggling with anything.

5:23:33Funding mutual aid, trying to stabilize

5:23:36our rents and protect tenants, bringing

5:23:38accountability to our police department.

5:23:41This is what safety looks like in an

5:23:45equitable and what I consider I think

5:23:48holistic is the word view. Um and a lot

5:23:51of the stuff that I mentioned it is in

5:23:53Burlington forward um about shelters and

5:23:56of course about collaboration. That

5:23:58stuff's in Burlington forward. Um it's

5:24:00the stuff that um requires us putting

5:24:03millions of dollars into um punishment

5:24:07for people that are existing.

5:24:10um that I think that money could

5:24:13actually go to more quickly realizing

5:24:16those real solutions.

5:24:19Um if we want to truly want to try

5:24:22something different, then that means

5:24:24doing something different. It means

5:24:25doing something different with our

5:24:26money, with our workforce, and with our

5:24:28community who is ready to step in and

5:24:30help support our city and support their

5:24:34neighbors. And we've heard that as well.

5:24:37Um so we will not solve the crises that

5:24:41are affecting the vast majority of our

5:24:43population and the vast majority of the

5:24:45US population housed and unhoused. the

5:24:47crisis of housing, healthcare,

5:24:48affordability, and violence against us,

5:24:51the people, by capitalism. Until all

5:24:54levels of government are putting our tax

5:24:57dollars into supporting these needs of

5:25:00people and lifting people together into

5:25:05a position where

5:25:07we are not collectively suffering.

5:25:11Um, and it means not inflicting further

5:25:15pain on our most vulnerable and ignoring

5:25:19the rest of us working people to the

5:25:21financial benefit of landlords that harm

5:25:24people and businesses alike.

5:25:30um a vision like where there is

5:25:33accountability and a plan to address um

5:25:36the danger of

5:25:39um folks like landlords. The danger that

5:25:42they put their tenants in with no cause

5:25:45evictions, price couching rents and

5:25:47derelictked properties. I promised you

5:25:49that there is more harm to the safety of

5:25:51Burlingtononians there than is caused by

5:25:53unhoused people and public drug use.

5:25:59So, as my colleagues stated, uh, these

5:26:02amendments do not go far enough.

5:26:06Um, and Burlington Forward, um, in my

5:26:09opinion does need to be put aside, but

5:26:12that does not mean, I'm saying this, my

5:26:15colleagues are saying this, the public

5:26:16is saying this, that doesn't mean that

5:26:18the alternative is to do nothing.

5:26:20Policies that put the safety and

5:26:22security of all Burlingtononians at its

5:26:24core must be built from the ground up.

5:26:28Instead of presenting the public with a

5:26:3020page document,

5:26:33we should be presenting the public with

5:26:36an opportunity to put their ideas on

5:26:39paper and us their representatives

5:26:43to bring our knowledge of the city.

5:26:48>> Could you wrap up please? You're at 8

5:26:49minutes. Yep. Um, our knowledge of of

5:26:53the city and what works and what doesn't

5:26:55work and bring their ideas in and vet

5:26:57them there and listen to people. And I

5:27:00know a lot of listening has happened,

5:27:02but I'm talking about like counselors,

5:27:04the mayor's office, leaders in our BIPO

5:27:06community, current and former unhoused

5:27:08people, workers, unions, mutual aid and

5:27:10service providers.

5:27:11>> Broader, could you wrap up, please?

5:27:13>> Yes.

5:27:14>> And more.

5:27:15>> Um, and I will end this there. I

5:27:18apologize.

5:27:18>> Thank you. Um, and last we'll turn to

5:27:21the mayor for your comments on the

5:27:24amendment.

5:27:24>> Thank you, Acting President Barlo.

5:27:27So, look, I know the votes were

5:27:29welldecided long before we were even in

5:27:31this room or this debate began. And so,

5:27:34what I'm going to offer uh as we as you

5:27:36close out this this portion and come to

5:27:38a vote is really setting the record

5:27:40straight so that it is accurate. I also

5:27:43am deeply disturbed by how some of my

5:27:45colleagues around this table have

5:27:47decided to describe the Queen City. It

5:27:50frankly makes me sad. It makes me uh

5:27:54disturbed on how entrenched the

5:27:56partisanship has become here in

5:27:57Burlington and it makes me question why

5:28:00people choose to live here and choose to

5:28:02be an elected role to represent this

5:28:04city. We can hold complexities. We can

5:28:06hold multiple truths. But the way for

5:28:09which you're all describing this city is

5:28:11not a group of leaders looking to find

5:28:13an inspired and collaborative approach

5:28:15forward. And it makes me very sad.

5:28:19The five things that were raised that I

5:28:21really want to address tonight for the

5:28:23point of clarity for folks who might

5:28:25even be still watching this meeting um

5:28:27are as follows. the assertion that

5:28:30despite doing a uh or approving a public

5:28:32safety property tax, Burlington has

5:28:35fewer police officers and civilian

5:28:36staffs than when I became mayor. Um and

5:28:40this is not this is of course despite

5:28:42the efforts by Chief Burke. We all know

5:28:45and you took votes and you approved

5:28:47various other decisions that went in to

5:28:48inform why we needed a public safety tax

5:28:51increase that included covering union

5:28:54negotiated contracts with our police and

5:28:56fire for which you all supported. There

5:28:58is only one way to pay for union

5:29:00increases for wages and benefits for our

5:29:02very hardworking first responders. We

5:29:05needed a tax increase. This is a

5:29:07dedicated tax for just police and fire

5:29:09as we all know. It included two new

5:29:11firefighters that we added to this

5:29:14particular fiscal year and it included

5:29:16adding to our safety vehicle fleet which

5:29:19is something that prior administrations

5:29:20had neglected to do within the operating

5:29:23budgets of the city city.

5:29:25The other reality is is that we knew for

5:29:27many years prior to me becoming mayor,

5:29:29people retire from positions, especially

5:29:31policing. And we had a large cluster of

5:29:34known retirements and no pipeline and no

5:29:36recruitment strategy under the prior

5:29:39police administration's leadership to

5:29:41replace in a thoughtful way the known

5:29:43retirements that were starting to bundle

5:29:45in the last year or two.

5:29:48Also, when budgeting, we tried to advise

5:29:51when I presented my budget that we did

5:29:53not need the a number of officers put

5:29:55into the budget in fiscal year 25 and 26

5:29:58in particular because we could not rec

5:30:00we could not recruit and fill those

5:30:02positions. That is why we're at the

5:30:04point of having surpluses. It is not

5:30:05because we were not hiring and

5:30:08diligently going out and recruiting. Um,

5:30:10we were doing so, but we knew under both

5:30:12chiefs that have served since I become

5:30:14mayor that that was just not an

5:30:15attainable number. Yet members of this

5:30:18of this council decided they wanted to

5:30:20put those numbers and figures into the

5:30:21budget regardless.

5:30:23On the second item of the hotspot

5:30:25initiative, of course, that is a

5:30:27temporary response. That is how hotspot

5:30:28strategies are used in all sorts of

5:30:30communities. It is a way to address

5:30:33chronic citywide public uh safety

5:30:35challenges, especially during certain

5:30:37seasons of the year, which in Vermont,

5:30:38of course, is the summertime where

5:30:40things literally heat up. This has

5:30:42always been a short-term strategy. does

5:30:44not mean that we don't have long-term

5:30:46strategies and systemic solutions that

5:30:48we've put in place that take time and

5:30:50are having incremental but improvements

5:30:53within the city here today. The third

5:30:56one, the assertion that we that city

5:30:58circle is defunct or a failure or not

5:31:01working is a failure to think as

5:31:03innovators and and a failure of

5:31:05imagination of what pilots are all

5:31:06about. We have been very transparent

5:31:08with the council six months in on

5:31:10something we co-designed and you

5:31:12approved through ordinance changes a way

5:31:14to take accountability on some level

5:31:16into our own hands as a city. The

5:31:18inability for this this council to

5:31:20understand policy um pilots and how we

5:31:24reflect and how we adapt and and even

5:31:26frankly carrying forward what was

5:31:27reported in that work session. It really

5:31:30astounds me at the end of the day

5:31:31because we have pivoted. We have not

5:31:32ended city circle. We have pivoted into

5:31:34other restorative practice programs that

5:31:36are operated and funded differently

5:31:38within the CJC and we're trying to

5:31:40figure out the second half of this which

5:31:42involves a court system and bringing

5:31:44those who do not show up for the

5:31:46restorative justice ticketing process to

5:31:48make repairs to get our court system to

5:31:50actually function.

5:31:52The fourth assertion that uh the that my

5:31:55administration is cutting community

5:31:57programming and downtown events is

5:32:00marginally I wouldn't even say it's

5:32:02accurate. We have had year after year

5:32:04sizable million-doll budget gaps year

5:32:06after year. We've had to lay off staff

5:32:08positions that are filled. And this last

5:32:10budget cycle, we had to cut vacant

5:32:13positions. Thankfully, not filled. I

5:32:15asked every single department to look

5:32:17diligently at their at their uh their

5:32:19department budgets to offer up savings

5:32:22so that we could close a budget gap and

5:32:24keep the city affordable. We are still

5:32:26investing a significant amount of

5:32:28resources, $1 million. the slight

5:32:31reduction was a slight reduction of I

5:32:33think less than $100,000 on over a

5:32:36million dollars that we invest year

5:32:37after year in events. So we have to be

5:32:40accurate in a big assertions like that.

5:32:42That is not um cutting cutting events uh

5:32:45is not is not an accurate statement for

5:32:47this administration.

5:32:48And the fifth and final one is of course

5:32:50as winter approaches we have so much

5:32:52more to do in terms of sheltering the

5:32:54hundreds of people who are living

5:32:56outside with no option. To assert that

5:32:59we have not done our due elig due

5:33:01diligence and effort on an advocacy

5:33:03level as a city of Burlington and are

5:33:04just defaulting to the Miller Center is

5:33:06a dangerous assertion to make and does

5:33:09not reflect a very strong track record

5:33:11for myself and my colleagues within CEDO

5:33:14and even this council on the amount of

5:33:16shelter advocacy work we have done

5:33:17locally, regionally and statewide. We

5:33:20have been relentless on advocating for a

5:33:22100 bed shelter for months since July.

5:33:25We've been relentless on calling on the

5:33:27governor and our regional partners to

5:33:29play their part in helping helping to

5:33:31bring on more shelter online before we

5:33:33got anywhere near the winter. In the

5:33:352025 and 2026 legislative session, I

5:33:39strongly and we all strongly continue to

5:33:40advocate for CVEO to get funding that

5:33:43was going to be cut for the community

5:33:45resource center, one of the only spaces

5:33:48people can go when it's hot or extremely

5:33:50cold. This is an extremely important

5:33:52regional response effort to house to

5:33:55helping people who are unhoused have

5:33:56somewhere to be during the day. We also

5:33:59advocated strongly and continue to

5:34:01advocate because it's not implemented

5:34:03correctly municipal funding for the

5:34:05homelessness response for communities

5:34:06with a disproportional amount of the

5:34:08homelessness crisis which is Burlington.

5:34:10This was half a million dollars that was

5:34:12put into act 143 and not implemented

5:34:15correctly. Just two weeks ago, I

5:34:17reported back to you going personally to

5:34:19the state house to advocate and we

5:34:21actually were able to finally get the

5:34:23attention of DCF to recognize that this

5:34:25was implemented incorrectly by the third

5:34:27party. This is money directly back to

5:34:29Burlington that is not flowing right now

5:34:31for our emergency response on this

5:34:33public health um health crisis for

5:34:36homelessness that allow us to stop

5:34:38spending so much local resourcing

5:34:40without any backfill from the state on

5:34:42what is a statewide crisis in the

5:34:43streets of Burlington. We have supported

5:34:45funding the new bridges recovery shelter

5:34:48um which is run by CVO with about

5:34:50$100,000. This is the first recovery

5:34:53shelter of its kind in Chitten County.

5:34:55It opened within the last year and in

5:34:57October earlier this month uh we

5:35:00collaborated with the CS uh to open a

5:35:02new and expanded way station at 58 Pearl

5:35:05Street. And there's even more. There was

5:35:07a family shelter that opened up on Pearl

5:35:08Street. We are doing far and beyond more

5:35:11than any other municipality in this

5:35:13entire state. And I am very strong of

5:35:15this relentless advocacy work we have

5:35:17been doing. So it is deeply inaccurate

5:35:19to default and say that we're only

5:35:21defaulting to the Miller Center. That is

5:35:24harmful information to be asserting to

5:35:26our community. It misleads our

5:35:27residents.

5:35:29In terms of feedback, I want to be clear

5:35:31that within two weeks of the

5:35:32introduction in August, I not a single

5:35:34person has mentioned this. I led the

5:35:37caucus leadership to come to the table

5:35:38and immediately talk about state

5:35:40solutions and put a resolution on the

5:35:42next agenda. the next agenda for which

5:35:44unanimously passed with specificity and

5:35:47clarity and actionable steps that the

5:35:49state could take immediately. Not a

5:35:50single person mentioned this. That is

5:35:52direct feedback that I have offered and

5:35:54sent and collaborated with the people

5:35:56around this table. So again, completely

5:35:58inaccurate and unhelpful to this

5:36:00community to assert that there hasn't

5:36:01been outreach by me personally as well

5:36:03as the administration to work

5:36:05immediately on a piece of what came

5:36:07forward in August. I meet every other

5:36:09week with the Democratic leadership and

5:36:11the progressive leadership of the

5:36:12caucuses and I have asked relentlessly

5:36:15around where is Burlington Ford and it

5:36:17is not up to me for caucus I don't know

5:36:19what caucus leaders do to share

5:36:21information to each caucus but I have

5:36:23been in good faith engaging since the

5:36:25day I became mayor with the caucus

5:36:26leadership and the council president

5:36:28that accuracy is incredibly important

5:36:31within 48 hours as I mentioned in my

5:36:33earlier comments of receiving draft 2 on

5:36:35Monday of last week I I spent endless

5:36:39hours articulating my five top policy

5:36:41concerns for which the council president

5:36:43said he would respond to. I have still

5:36:45not received a response to that email

5:36:47that I sent in in really good faith to

5:36:49articulate five core policy issues, not

5:36:52even process, five core policy issues to

5:36:54please respond to me by Monday. I named

5:36:57the fact that on Friday we were not

5:36:58going to have adequate time to talk

5:37:00about Burlington Ford, for which I was

5:37:02received not extended time by the

5:37:04Democratic leadership to be able to have

5:37:06a thoughtful dialogue on either those

5:37:08five topics or anything else in a 20

5:37:11plus page document which was deeply

5:37:12disappointing. So it is not about

5:37:15feedback not being offered. It is about

5:37:18a very disingenuous and deeply

5:37:20disturbing process that is not serving

5:37:22the the city well. And finally, I want

5:37:25to say this as someone who's always been

5:37:27a member of a minority party. Um, I've

5:37:29heard people continue to say they're

5:37:31tired of complaints about the process

5:37:33that has led us here today. This is

5:37:36democracy, everyone. This is democracy.

5:37:39It is process heavy in democracy,

5:37:41especially a representative democracy

5:37:43that allows minority voices to

5:37:45participate. And in doing so, it allows

5:37:48minority voices to be heard fairly and

5:37:50adequately. And that is critical

5:37:53especially in these times. It is

5:37:55something that we see failing on the

5:37:57national level every single day. And we

5:38:00must be very careful, very careful. We

5:38:03can be stewards of democracy here in

5:38:04Burlington or not. And it is an

5:38:06important reflection point for this

5:38:08council as you decide to move forward on

5:38:09this vote tonight, especially those in

5:38:11the majority about how we carefully

5:38:13steward our democracy forward. And so

5:38:16again, I'm under no illusion that I am

5:38:18convincing any single person around this

5:38:20table to change their vote one way or

5:38:21the other, which is my greatest

5:38:23disappointment here. But I caution all

5:38:25of you of how we talk about our city,

5:38:26how we work collaboratively together,

5:38:28and we show some amount of unity that we

5:38:31know how to lead this city forward to

5:38:33what is actually possible.

5:38:35>> Thank you, mayor. Now, uh, this is on

5:38:38just on the amendment. So, I'm going I'm

5:38:41going to have the clerk call the role on

5:38:43the amendment. Um we've all we've

5:38:47>> information

5:38:47>> point of information. Go ahead.

5:38:49>> Um I just wanted to clarify. So the

5:38:52action was potential amendment. I guess

5:38:56I'm just this might be a

5:38:58>> the recommended action on civic clerk

5:39:00was potential amendment. Councelor

5:39:02Travers has uh made a motion to strike

5:39:07all and replace with the current one the

5:39:10current um version of the resolution

5:39:13that's attached to the agenda item.

5:39:16>> Okay. And I I mean I don't know if I can

5:39:19ask this question, but for what purpose?

5:39:21Like what's the point here is it going I

5:39:25I know that council Travers mentioned

5:39:29we'll return in December. Um, is it is

5:39:33>> I I don't want to speak for the mo for

5:39:36council cover. So, um, if you're willing

5:39:38to answer that point of inquiry.

5:39:43>> Sure. I think we've said from day one

5:39:45that from our perspective, the original

5:39:47version of this resolution is a is a

5:39:49working draft. And so, if the motion to

5:39:52strike all and replace and to do so with

5:39:54the amended version uh carries, then

5:39:57that will be the working draft moving

5:39:58forward. From from my perspective, this

5:40:00is an item that still remains before all

5:40:03four of the committees that are taking

5:40:05it under consideration and that there

5:40:08would be absolutely nothing stopping

5:40:09those committees or from us in

5:40:11collaboration from the mayor's office to

5:40:12continue to work on the items that

5:40:14appeared in the original version as well

5:40:15as um in the amended version. My

5:40:18intention, if the motion to amend

5:40:19carries, is to then immediately move to

5:40:23postpone the amended version until our

5:40:24meeting on December 7th to allow for

5:40:26that opportunity, whether it be before

5:40:28our committees or in collaboration with

5:40:30the mayor's administration or in working

5:40:32with the community stakeholders that

5:40:34have been engaged and will continue to

5:40:35be engaged moving forward.

5:40:37>> Does that answer your question?

5:40:39>> Um, yes. Am I able to make a different

5:40:44recommendation at this point or

5:40:49an amendment

5:40:50>> an amendment to the

5:40:51>> I guess I'm curious and and council

5:40:53Travers I am I'm I'm curious like are we

5:40:56proposing to what I'm hearing is

5:40:58continuing to move forward in in the

5:41:01process that it's been so far um

5:41:08so the the resolution sitting in the

5:41:09different committees

5:41:11um I feel like

5:41:15since September 14th

5:41:17there wasn't really an engagement and so

5:41:20I I just would be curious to know should

5:41:22the recommendation be to

5:41:25amend the resolution and send back to

5:41:28committees. Um I would like to propose

5:41:32that we create an ad hoc committee that

5:41:35more hopefully efficiently and

5:41:37effectively engage with this resolution

5:41:40or with portions of the resolution.

5:41:43Um the a amendment is that a friendly to

5:41:47to your motion?

5:41:50>> Well, I just from my perspective, I

5:41:52would say there's two separate motions,

5:41:54right? We're on the motion to amend

5:41:56right now. Um I've stated my intention

5:41:59that if it's amended to then move to

5:42:01postpone. Uh I I don't know that it

5:42:04would be an order to necessarily respond

5:42:06to councelor Sanchez Parkinson's

5:42:07suggestion at this point in time other

5:42:09than to say that I'm I'm open to

5:42:11alternatives to our simply postponing

5:42:13the item until December 7th.

5:42:15>> But for now I think the motion is on on

5:42:17the amendment.

5:42:18>> So for now the motion's on the amendment

5:42:19and then we would take an additional

5:42:21action going forward. Okay.

5:42:24>> So

5:42:25>> thank you.

5:42:25>> If everybody is everybody clear?

5:42:27>> Yes. Okay. I would have the clerk call

5:42:30the role on the motion to amend.

5:42:33>> Acting city council president Barlo.

5:42:36>> Yes.

5:42:37>> Councelor Bergman.

5:42:38>> Yes.

5:42:40>> Councelor Broadick.

5:42:41>> Yes.

5:42:43>> Councelor Carpenter.

5:42:44>> Yes.

5:42:46>> Councelor Grant.

5:42:49>> No.

5:42:51>> Councelor Litwin.

5:42:53>> Yes.

5:42:55>> Councelor Mcnite.

5:42:56>> Yes. Councelor Newbieser.

5:43:04>> Yes.

5:43:06>> Councelor Sanchez Parkinson.

5:43:09>> Abstain.

5:43:12>> Point of order.

5:43:13>> What's your point of order?

5:43:15>> Our rules don't, as much as I

5:43:17understand, our rules don't permit

5:43:18abstension on anything other than

5:43:20appointments.

5:43:22>> So, do you want to restate your vote?

5:43:29No.

5:43:30>> Thank you.

5:43:33>> Councelor Sher,

5:43:34>> yes.

5:43:36>> Councelor Singh,

5:43:37>> yes.

5:43:38>> Councelor Traverse,

5:43:40>> yes.

5:43:47>> 10 eyes, two nays.

5:43:49>> With 10 eyes and two nazs, the motion to

5:43:52amend carries. And now we're back to the

5:43:55underlying resolution

5:43:58and we can continue debate on that. Is

5:44:01there anybody that wants to be

5:44:02recognized on that? Councelor Travers,

5:44:04go ahead.

5:44:06>> Uh, I would move to postpone the amended

5:44:08resolution to our meeting on December

5:44:107th.

5:44:12>> Second.

5:44:13>> And we have a motion in a second. Now we

5:44:15can debate that. Who'd like to speak to

5:44:18the motion? Is that is that debatable?

5:44:21Okay, that is That was debatable. Okay.

5:44:24So, who wants to speak to the motion to

5:44:27postpone?

5:44:28>> I have a point of information.

5:44:30>> What's your point of information?

5:44:32>> I guess I I want to understand better

5:44:34from a

5:44:37we passed the resolution, sent it to

5:44:38committees, right? Those committees did

5:44:42not vote it out of committee. My

5:44:44understanding from the council president

5:44:45at a uh what was it CDNR recently was

5:44:50that his understanding of the council

5:44:52rules was that he can sort of pull it

5:44:54back out of those committees after a

5:44:56certain amount of time. So now it's

5:44:59sitting over here.

5:45:02So now we've voted on like an updated

5:45:05working draft which is a strange way to

5:45:07do this. So it's like the council

5:45:09president is sort of like observing the

5:45:11committee's work and then choosing

5:45:14I I don't know determining for the

5:45:16committees I guess what amendments are

5:45:18appropriate based on those discussions

5:45:21and then we're postponing to December

5:45:237th. So does that mean that it would not

5:45:26be appropriate for committees then to

5:45:27take it up between now and December 7th?

5:45:31I mean it this is what I'm talking

5:45:33about. Like this is

5:45:36this is absurd.

5:45:38Sorry, I shouldn't. That's I I'm

5:45:39genuinely very confused about how this

5:45:41overlays with our rules and just like

5:45:44basic relationship between the full

5:45:46council and committee. I guess I'm

5:45:47trying to get clarity on

5:45:49>> my my understanding would be that this

5:45:51would be um deliberated in committee and

5:45:55be brought back to us on December 7th.

5:45:57Is that accurate, Councelor Travers?

5:45:59>> Well, so I'll take the floor back on the

5:46:02motion to Absolutely. Go ahead. I

5:46:04appreciated councelor Sanchez

5:46:05Parkinson's comments from earlier. If it

5:46:08would make it uh clearer the path

5:46:10forward here to reaffirm the presence of

5:46:14the amended resolution before our

5:46:16committees, I would be happy to support

5:46:18that. Our council rules do permit the

5:46:20council to take items back up uh at a

5:46:23certain point in time which we've done

5:46:25here. But I think my hope and desire

5:46:27would be whether through the four

5:46:29committees or whether through an ad hoc

5:46:31committee or whether in coordination

5:46:33with the mayor's office that has been

5:46:34offered here or some combination

5:46:36thereof, I would be more than open and

5:46:39completely uh be interested in in our

5:46:42figuring out what what the best path

5:46:44forward here. I recognize that

5:46:47all four of the committees that have

5:46:48considered it that it has resulted in in

5:46:51a somewhat disjointed effort. There's a

5:46:53number of committees, number of

5:46:54counselors on different committees,

5:46:55questions around which items are in

5:46:57which committee's jurisdiction. I think

5:46:59generally speaking, councelor Carpenter

5:47:00and I have actually spoken about this in

5:47:02the past um that we could do some work

5:47:04as a council to better define actually

5:47:06what the jurisdiction of each of our

5:47:08committees are, which could provide

5:47:10greater clarity not just on this

5:47:11resolution, but on other items moving

5:47:13forward. Um I've I've made the motion to

5:47:17uh postpone this resolution until

5:47:20December 7th. I think even without

5:47:22clarity on that item, it would be

5:47:24totally appropriate for any one of our

5:47:26committees to uh continue to consider

5:47:29and to take this item up and to provide

5:47:31recommendations prior to December 7th.

5:47:33But I whether this evening or at our

5:47:36next meeting or at any point in between,

5:47:38I'm very open to uh figuring out the

5:47:41best path forward other than simply

5:47:43waiting until the 7th.

5:47:46>> Um, councelor Bergman and Councelor

5:47:48Carpenter. Um,

5:47:51I was out when the motion was made. So,

5:47:53but I think it I'm clear that it is to

5:47:57bring this back on um the on December

5:48:017th. And I I I

5:48:05if I if I listen to the best angels on

5:48:10everybody's shoulders, I I see the you

5:48:14know the the possibility of a um

5:48:19of of a conversation of of a fruitful

5:48:22conversation. I do not think that the

5:48:26December 7th allows us to really do

5:48:29that. And

5:48:32I think that

5:48:35we should ask the the mayor to convene a

5:48:39special committee of

5:48:43both our sides and the administration to

5:48:46uh to try to work through um and at

5:48:49least clarify. Um I was really impressed

5:48:52by the long list of all the things that

5:48:54are actually being asked for in this

5:48:57resolution. It's it's it's kind of

5:48:59stunning and when you think about how

5:49:02people responded to the charter changes

5:49:06um and this is like a gazillion times

5:49:09harder and more in depth really and that

5:49:13um we we've we've got to do something

5:49:16different. So I would either ask for the

5:49:20amendment

5:49:21to

5:49:26to to delete the the the time certain

5:49:29back or even I don't know that it's

5:49:31necessary at this point

5:49:34to have a report back and I it clearly

5:49:37December 7th is not enough time. I'm

5:49:39sorry. This is really detailed stuff and

5:49:42we got all sorts of other things going

5:49:44on to do it right. We need the time to

5:49:47do it. And so either

5:49:51I mean I I it's almost like I should be

5:49:54making a motion to delete the time back,

5:49:56but I that sort of defeats the whole

5:49:58purpose. I would like us to try to get

5:50:02to

5:50:03yes in a

5:50:06in a unified positive way if we if we

5:50:10can. And so my suggestion would be that

5:50:14we delete that um December 7th and we

5:50:19ask the mayor to uh convene a special

5:50:23committee to have us come together and

5:50:26work on this. Um and I can make that as

5:50:29a motion to amend the motion or I can

5:50:33just throw it out here and maybe make it

5:50:35after if we can get some traction to

5:50:37that. Um there's a couple of other folks

5:50:40in the queue. Um and uh so it would be a

5:50:45motion to amend the motion, but if you

5:50:48want to wait until um others have had an

5:50:52opportunity to speak to it. Well, no,

5:50:54why don't I put it on the table and then

5:50:56let's let's do that, which is to amend

5:50:58to eliminate the uh the the date of

5:51:01return of December 7th and to request

5:51:04that the mayor convene a a special

5:51:08committee uh a committee of counselors

5:51:12to work with the administration to see

5:51:15if we can come up with

5:51:19a product which uh is at least more

5:51:26acceptable.

5:51:28How's that for a long motion?

5:51:32Well, there's a so there's a motion to

5:51:35post to uh bring to postpone until

5:51:38December 7th and an amendment now to

5:51:43>> delete.

5:51:48So to postpone and establish a special

5:51:52committee, but you're asking that the

5:51:54mayor do that.

5:52:01Yes, I am asking the mayor to do that.

5:52:03You know, as was stated before, we don't

5:52:06have police departments and budgets in

5:52:08our back pocket to just whip out. It's

5:52:11an administration that needs to be at

5:52:13the table. We We got to do a better job.

5:52:16This is the way I think we can do we at

5:52:19least get a shot at doing a better job.

5:52:21So, so is that amendment friendly?

5:52:27I I think in your posing that question,

5:52:29it requires just a little bit more

5:52:31clarification on my end and I want to

5:52:33make sure that so I'm I don't I I would

5:52:37say that I'm not friendly to it as

5:52:40listed uh as as stated there, but it

5:52:43depends on whether or not it would be in

5:52:44order for me to now pose some questions

5:52:46back and forth with councilman on this

5:52:47or

5:52:48>> I I I I believe it would be in But you

5:52:52don't you don't have a Did anybody

5:52:54second your amendment?

5:52:58So seconded by councelor Newer. So now

5:53:01we can discuss the amendment to the

5:53:04motion to bring this back. So um

5:53:08>> well so sorry do I have the floor?

5:53:10>> Yeah, you can have the floor now.

5:53:12>> So my my concern is just the open-ended

5:53:13nature of it, right? I mean so councelor

5:53:15Shaker and I look we could go back and

5:53:17forth this evening with respect to the

5:53:19accuracies and inaccuracies of many

5:53:21different things that were said or not

5:53:22said this evening. My preference is to

5:53:24not do that and our focus on the next

5:53:26steps. Um, as indicated earlier this

5:53:28evening, councelor Shack and I had had a

5:53:31discussion with the mayor's office with

5:53:32respect to openness to our bringing a

5:53:35group of folks together and and we had

5:53:36said yes to to doing that. Um, but I I

5:53:40do think that from my perspective there

5:53:42needs to be a date certain on which uh

5:53:45if that work's going to be done that

5:53:46that it comes forward. What I would not

5:53:48want to have happen, right, is for us to

5:53:50have sort of one-hour meetings with two,

5:53:53three weeks in between and for us to not

5:53:55really be able to put in the time,

5:53:57right? I mean, I think my suggestion

5:53:58would be, and I know we all have busy

5:54:00calendars and schedules, particularly

5:54:01the mayor and uh city staff, but you

5:54:04know, my suggestion would be let's find

5:54:06a full day. let's find a half day or a

5:54:09couple half days for a group of us to

5:54:11really get together and and see and and

5:54:13really exhaust the discussion on where

5:54:15we can find common cause and where there

5:54:17are fundamental disagreements, but at

5:54:19least really bring all these issues to

5:54:21ground. So, I'm I'm open and I think I

5:54:24can speak on behalf of council shar here

5:54:26as as well as our caucus chair to to our

5:54:30uh making the ask to establish a a

5:54:32committee along these lines, but I I do

5:54:33think it needs a date certain and

5:54:35shouldn't be left open-ended. So, so if

5:54:37I

5:54:39if you

5:54:40>> sure I'm going to indulge this.

5:54:41>> Could I I could I just say that um a

5:54:44report back

5:54:46on December 7th about the progress would

5:54:49not be open-ended. And if that needs to

5:54:52be part of the um part of the motion, I

5:54:58don't think it has to be, but I don't

5:54:59think it is bad to be. then at least

5:55:01it's not open-ended and you've got a

5:55:04period of time which is over a month for

5:55:08us to try something out and see where it

5:55:12is and give a report back here about the

5:55:15progress of that. So I I think that that

5:55:21meets the objection in a way which is

5:55:25fair and realistic.

5:55:27And so I would

5:55:29I I would amend my motion to to add that

5:55:32there be a report back to this body

5:55:35about the progress of that work on

5:55:39December 7th and what we do with that

5:55:43then uh you know the future is

5:55:46unwritten.

5:55:49Um, so there is an amendment.

5:55:53The the a the amendment is to

5:55:58report back on December 7th on

5:56:02from a committee that's yet to be

5:56:04defined. And this is the part that I'm a

5:56:06little bit unclear on. So I'm not

5:56:08exactly sure

5:56:10how to proceed with this. Do would you

5:56:12would a would someone like to call a

5:56:14recess to discuss this?

5:56:17>> No. Sure. I would move for a fivem

5:56:19minute recess.

5:56:20>> So there's a motion for a five minute

5:56:23there's a request for a fivem minute

5:56:24recess. Would you indulge that? So I

5:56:26think we need to do we need to vote on

5:56:28that.

5:56:28>> Yes.

5:56:29>> Yes. Um so the uh there's a request for

5:56:33a fivem minute recess. I'm going to try

5:56:36a voice vote. I guess all those in favor

5:56:38indicate by saying I.

5:56:39>> I. I.

5:56:40>> Anybody opposed? That's unanimous. Okay.

5:56:43We're in re recess till 12:10.

5:56:46Awesome.

5:56:55>> Yeah.

5:57:08The air condition.

5:59:42I'm So exhausted.

6:01:27Right.

6:02:23Are we ready to reconvene?

6:03:17Are we ready to reconvene?

6:03:39I think we need a special participation

6:03:41trophy for Chris.

6:03:51I need more chocolate. Do we have more

6:03:53chocolate?

6:03:56>> Who likes Do you like my dinner tonight?

6:03:58I really appreciate that.

6:04:53Just like that.

6:07:07Okay.

6:07:09Will counselors take their seats,

6:07:11please?

6:07:16Okay. So,

6:07:19I'm not exactly sure where we are in

6:07:22this process. I

6:07:23>> I think I have this motion. It was this

6:07:26maybe it was this motion to amend.

6:07:28>> Okay. That would be to create an ad hoc

6:07:33com committee of the mayor, the two the

6:07:38council president as the lead author of

6:07:41this and the two caucus chairs

6:07:47to work

6:07:50uh on this with a report back on um on

6:07:57the 7th of December

6:08:01>> with a hope and expectation that we can

6:08:05um find as much common ground as

6:08:09possible.

6:08:10>> Is that a friendly amendment?

6:08:13>> It is to me. Yes.

6:08:14>> And is it to the seconder?

6:08:17>> Did I second? But yes,

6:08:19>> did you second? Who? I thought you

6:08:21>> councelor McNight second.

6:08:23>> I'm sorry. Is it friendly

6:08:24>> to you? Okay. So then that's

6:08:27incorporated into the underlying motion.

6:08:30And so the motion is for just to get it

6:08:34clear and someone's going to have to

6:08:35write it down and send it to Lori. Um

6:08:38but the motion is to postpone further

6:08:41consideration until December 7th. And

6:08:44during that time, the mayor, the two

6:08:47caucus chairs, and the council president

6:08:49are going to meet

6:08:51>> in this at an ad hoc committee

6:08:52>> in an as an ad hoc committee and report

6:08:55back to the council on the 7th.

6:08:57>> Yes.

6:08:59>> Okay. Um you we still have to send that

6:09:01in writing. Someone who's going to be

6:09:03responsible.

6:09:04>> I'll do it right.

6:09:04>> Okay. So, Ben's going to do that. Okay.

6:09:06So, that's the motion. Now, we're

6:09:08opening that up to debate. Who'd like to

6:09:11speak to it? Mila. Uh, councelor Grant,

6:09:14go ahead.

6:09:16>> Okay. I am representing all the

6:09:18residents of Burlington who at the

6:09:20thought of yet another committee are

6:09:22keeling over. So,

6:09:27what exactly is this committee going to

6:09:30do?

6:09:32>> Um, are you are you making

6:09:36>> I want to have an understanding. So what

6:09:38we've had and we've what we've talked

6:09:40about is a lack of communication and a

6:09:43lack of coordination and a lack of due

6:09:46diligence in some of the committees.

6:09:49Right? So what is this committee like?

6:09:52When we going to report back on exactly

6:09:56what are we doing and what will we be

6:09:59reporting back on in December? Is this

6:10:02committee going to say, "Okay, we need

6:10:05public safety to go through the rest of

6:10:07the, you know, what are we doing?"

6:10:09>> If I may, I believe that the intent is

6:10:12to um to be able to coordinate and

6:10:16collaborate on

6:10:18um the resolution as an ad hoc committee

6:10:21with the administration and the two two

6:10:24caucuses and um see what progress can be

6:10:27made.

6:10:29Does that include sending it back to

6:10:32certain committees?

6:10:34>> Um, I believe at this point that that

6:10:37would be up to the ad hoc group that's

6:10:40meeting. Um, so hold on. So I'll you you

6:10:44made the amendment. So I'm going to let

6:10:46you speak, but I'm going to I'm going to

6:10:47try to keep time on this because we're

6:10:49getting quite late into the evening.

6:10:51>> Just as this point of information, I to

6:10:54be quite honest, I believe that the

6:10:56committees still have

6:10:58the now substituted resolution so

6:11:01committees can continue to to do work on

6:11:04it, right? But our our task is to see um

6:11:10both what's in the um the resolution and

6:11:15what isn't in the resolution that we can

6:11:18bring to the table on the big question

6:11:20of uh of community health and safety and

6:11:24see if we can uh come to a much closer

6:11:29understanding and uh and agreement on on

6:11:32it. So, I it we've got a we've got a

6:11:35work to do, but

6:11:38>> Okay. Does that answer question, Council

6:11:40Grant?

6:11:42>> Does that answer your question,

6:11:43Councelor Grant?

6:11:46>> Honest.

6:11:48Um, not really, but I have no further

6:11:51questions.

6:11:52>> Okay. Uh, who else would like to speak?

6:11:54Councelor Shakar, go ahead.

6:11:56I just wanted to share that um I have

6:11:59the same question myself, councelor

6:12:01Grant, of like, oh my gosh, another

6:12:02committee. Um I can express a very firm

6:12:06commitment. My hope would be that we can

6:12:08meet consistently and set some time

6:12:11aside between now and December 7th and

6:12:13potentially be ready for a vote on

6:12:15December 7th. And the other thing I want

6:12:17to say is that in terms of would it go

6:12:19back to committee or not, I have a sense

6:12:22depending on what stays in the

6:12:23resolution that there might be certain

6:12:25elements that will need quite a bit of

6:12:27further committee work. Like one example

6:12:29that comes to mind is the stabilization

6:12:31proposal that's in the latest draft. It

6:12:34requests a report back, I think, in 120

6:12:36days from public safety. So, I would

6:12:38imagine that there will be elements that

6:12:40we'll just have to keep working their

6:12:41way through committee, but that could be

6:12:43explicit and whatever we ultimately vote

6:12:45on. Um, in addition to committees can if

6:12:49they want to keep taking this up and

6:12:50provide recommendations to this ad hoc

6:12:52committee, that's fine. But I I would

6:12:53imagine that committees will continue to

6:12:55play a role in some of these ideas.

6:12:57>> Well, would you like to speak to this?

6:12:59Thank you, councelor Shakar.

6:13:02Councelor Sanchez Parkinson, go ahead.

6:13:04>> Thank you. Um, I appreciated what

6:13:06councelor Bergman mentioned in terms of

6:13:09um, allowing this space to also be an

6:13:11opportunity to um, be creative as a

6:13:14committee um, and to identify what is

6:13:18and what is not in this document. I

6:13:21would also um as I'm sure the committee

6:13:24would already consider, but um I

6:13:26continue to be very impressed with the

6:13:29level of public engagement um and for

6:13:32the number of people that came out here

6:13:34for four plus hours. I just want to

6:13:36continue to be respectful of the people

6:13:39who have really devoted time to engage

6:13:41in this topic.

6:13:43>> Okay. Thank you.

6:13:45Does anyone else want to speak to this?

6:13:47Go ahead, councelor Litman.

6:13:49Um, so I came in here tonight fully

6:13:52expecting and supporting giving this the

6:13:55time it needs to until dece December um

6:13:59even a little longer if necessary

6:14:02um for that discussion but um you know

6:14:07another committee more more vagies

6:14:10around um a report back and what this

6:14:13committee will do and quite frankly I'm

6:14:16in I'm in full agreement with council

6:14:19Grant, I have no idea what to uh expect.

6:14:23Um it's shocking to me too, Councelor

6:14:26Grant. Um and so I just don't foresee

6:14:30myself supporting this because, you

6:14:33know, this should have been happening

6:14:34sooner. There was nothing stopping

6:14:38any of us or the administration from,

6:14:41you know, locking ourselves in a room or

6:14:44our leadership locking themselves in the

6:14:46room and coming out with something more

6:14:48substantive to work from. Um, that being

6:14:51said, um,

6:14:54you know, I I I support the idea of

6:14:56postponing it for more collaborative

6:14:59work, but I feel like sometimes we're

6:15:00just throwing words around

6:15:02collaboration,

6:15:04you know, just Yeah, I I I'm not going

6:15:07to be able to support this amendment as

6:15:09as stated um because I don't know what

6:15:11this report back will bring and I don't

6:15:14know uh what the ultimate intention is

6:15:16here.

6:15:17>> Thank you, Councelor and Council

6:15:19Travers. Go ahead.

6:15:22>> Yeah, thank you, Acting President Barlo.

6:15:24Um I do hear the concerns about yet

6:15:27another committee. Um but uh what I will

6:15:32say right is is I don't think we need a

6:15:34crystal ball or a time machine to see

6:15:36what we're on our crash course towards

6:15:37right if but for are taking the time to

6:15:40see where we can find common ground and

6:15:43again ultimately running a ground where

6:15:45we just have fundamental disagreements

6:15:47pushing this forward to a final vote is

6:15:49teeing up a showdown where if I were

6:15:51sitting in the mayor's shoes I would

6:15:52anticipate that I would veto this

6:15:54resolution as it stands right now and um

6:15:57then then it goes nowhere. where uh

6:15:59because this council would need eight

6:16:01votes to uh overturn a veto along those

6:16:05lines and as councelor Bergman says I

6:16:07can count uh and there seems to be you

6:16:10know some pretty clear divides here on

6:16:13this council. So my hope is that this

6:16:15offers a path for us to uh avoid that

6:16:19crash course, a path that still puts us

6:16:21on a timeline to address these issues

6:16:24with the level of urgency that I think

6:16:26they we we we all believe that they um

6:16:29deserve. And it is aligned with the

6:16:31offer that the mayor's office had made

6:16:34uh last week to myself and to councelor

6:16:36Shakar which we had um again in

6:16:39discussions with the mayor's office last

6:16:40week indicated that we would be uh open

6:16:42to in pushing this matter off and so for

6:16:45for those reasons yes understanding the

6:16:48skepticism around uh another committee

6:16:51um I do think that this may be the the

6:16:54the the best committee uh after the

6:16:56great discussions that we've had before

6:16:58the four committees thus far to to

6:17:00really truly find if there's uh common

6:17:02ground for us to move forward with here.

6:17:04So, I'll be supporting it.

6:17:06>> Is there anyone else who wants to speak

6:17:08to it? Hopefully not. Well, I'll invoke

6:17:11another another Bergmanism then hope

6:17:13dies last. And and with that with that,

6:17:17we can go to a roll call vote, I think.

6:17:21>> Acting City Council President Barlo,

6:17:24>> yes.

6:17:25>> Councelor Bergman,

6:17:26>> yes.

6:17:27>> Councelor Brick,

6:17:28>> no.

6:17:30Councelor Carpenter,

6:17:32>> yes.

6:17:34>> Councelor Grant,

6:17:35>> no.

6:17:37>> Councelor Litwin,

6:17:38>> no.

6:17:40>> Councelor Mcnite,

6:17:41>> yes.

6:17:43>> Councelor Newbieser,

6:17:45>> yes.

6:17:47>> Councelor Sanchez Parkinson,

6:17:50>> yes.

6:17:51>> Councelor Shakar,

6:17:53>> yes.

6:17:54>> Councelor Singh,

6:17:55>> yes.

6:17:56>> Councelor Travers,

6:17:58>> yes.

6:18:03Nine eyes, three nays.

6:18:05>> With nine eyes and three nays, the

6:18:08motion passes. Um, I know I should I

6:18:11just go ahead and adjourn the meeting

6:18:13now or do you want to take the floor

6:18:14back?

6:18:15>> No. No objection.

6:18:15>> Make sure you say what time it is.

6:18:17>> Yeah,

6:18:18>> just call. With no uh with no further

6:18:21business and absent objection, I will

6:18:24adjourn us at 12:27.

6:18:46Hey,

6:18:56hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey,

6:18:56hey, hey, hey.

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