Chittenden County, Vermont Ward 2/3 Neighborhood Planning Assemblies NPA BTV, 12 Jan 2023

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From YouTube: Wards 2/3 NPA January Meeting - 1/12/2023

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Call To Order 00:00:00
Announcements 00:00:44
NPA Discussion 00:06:46
Shelburne St. Roundabout Dedication 00:32:02
CDBG Advisory Board 00:44:23
Ballot Questions 00:47:13
Representatives Updates 01:47:40

Total Run Time: 02:05:04

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A

And for those of you who don't know I've going to be running, I am running, it's almost official I think they're doing the count tonight. Four Ward district Central District, which is Awards two and three city council and I humbly request your support. The website will be Milo. Grant, that's m e, not m! I m e l, o Grant g-r-a-n-t.com should be up in the next 48 hours. It's got a little work to do on that tonight and then um coming to a door near you soon.

A

So, if you would like to invite me and schedule a specific time, I'll be happy to do that. I'm going to do some uh in coffee house, appearances and probably I want to see if I can do something at the Richard, Kemp, Center and some other places as well just to get to know everyone. So thank you very much vote for Milo Grant at outlook.com. If you want to say hey, oh I've, also been told I have to ask for money. So there's that.

A

B

Wonderful anybody else.

B

Okay, great we'll move on then, um so we wanted to do something a little different um being the new year and um wanting we're we're fairly new steering committee overall. So um we're we're looking for feedback on you know. What is what do our members get out of the NPA meetings? What do you want to see more of? What do you want to see less, so we put on 15 minutes on the agenda so that we could have a dialogue with everyone to um to see if we're missing anything and how we organize these meetings.

B

So I'll turn this over to Roxanne and.

C

Thank you thanks. Molly um I, don't know if you all got a chance to look at one of the piece of papers. That's on your table says NPA visioning prompts there's five questions. It's okay! If you haven't uh we're gonna go through each question, one by one, we're taking notes. This is recorded, um so we will. The steering committee will take all of this discussion back to our meetings.

C

um So these are things that we decided together that we really want to hear from you. Well, we do also have the survey online. That's it's quite long and that's a little more. It kind of takes a different angle.

C

um So the first question on here we'll get right to it is what are the most important parts of NPA meetings to you, and would you like to see some things have more time allotted to them than others?

C

This partly comes from the fact that these meetings are long and a lot of what we've heard from the survey so far is. Could we shorten them a bit not from everyone, but it's something that's been out there, but then what what do we do? How do we make that call um so we will hand the mic to anyone who wants to talk.

C

um Does anyone have anything they want to say on this topic like what is most important to you? Would you like to hear more from City counselors? Do you want to talk more with city councilors?

C

um Do you love hearing the presentations or feel like they go on too long and want to have more discussion um or all that kind of stuff, or maybe something totally different?

C

Does anyone have any any response to this first question.

D

One of the things I've found so valuable is essentially when there are really big changes that are happening in our community. Sometimes NPA is one of the first opportunities for us to learn about it, digest it really understand how it's going to change things or impact things positive or negative, and then for and I I've found this group very much focused on like what is the next step. We can take like an action thing together as a community. Like writing these resolutions or making you know and having direct communication with our city.

D

Councilors obviously is invaluable, because that just saves a lot of time right. We're all super busy crafting emails is not like anybody's first choice of things to do. If it is, please volunteer to help elect Milo, but um yeah I think being able to know what changes are happening schedule them for the NPA meetings has been probably the best use of our time.

C

E

um Yeah a couple months ago, there was a meeting where we got an update from someone on the police commission. We got an update from the director of DPW. We got an update from the developers of City Place.

E

It was like these big juicy issues and we're hearing directly from the city and the source and like the people, most involved and closest to the thing and I felt like I, had heard a lot of like misinformation or like emotional hot takes, and it just felt really good to show up and hear facts and like exactly what Genie was just saying like in a sort of matter of fact, action based. Where do we go from here kind of way, so good job, you guys? That's all I wanted to say.

F

There were two NPA happenings in the last couple of months that that were eye-opening to me. One was the parking enforcement guy only doesn't want to be called parking. Enforcement I forget what he wants to be called, but the other was the people from the big big hole because actually seeing the people who were going to hopefully fill in the hole and hearing what they were saying, even if I didn't really trust, it um was really helpful to know what was coming because I live on.

F

Saint, Paul, Street and those trucks are going back and forth in front of my building every day. um So, but it was nice to get the warning even which I wouldn't have gotten any other way.

C

So what I'm hearing so far is like good news, like people are seem pretty happy.

C

um Does anyone have any suggestions on how to change the structure of the meeting or um you know if it is a decision between a shorter meeting and having an additional presentation or having an additional presentation or longer q a with another? Do you have any takes on that to raise it.

G

So I'm kind of new here this is my first time being here but um sorry, um so uh my initial thought for how to make this just more accessible for more people is. uh Is there like a group chat for this, where we can like schedule it for more people instead of having it be like uh once a month, Thursday thing, because I think having it on a Thursday, my limit who can participate.

C

Yeah that actually, in the survey we had sent out, a lot of people asked about a Facebook group or an email group specific to this and right now. The way we get the word out is front. Porch Forum mainly, and that's a lot of people also said. That is very important, of course, um and we added an Instagram, um but as for some sort of forum, I mean there is like the old North End Facebook group, but that doesn't even cover the whole. Our whole words um do you have any suggestion for like the place.

G

I think just like expanding your social media reach might be effective, um just multiple platforms but uh centering it on, like one location like you, can have multiple links on an into Instagram profile um and there are ways to have like a Google Calendar with like a voting system that allows it. So more people can join these meetings at the same time, and it just automatically tells you which one more people can RSVP for so I. Think having like a flexible like meeting that more people can come to, but also like a set schedule.

G

Thing might be good.

C

Thank you so much and welcome um I'll move on to you just so. We hit all the points on here, um but we can like come back to General structure and how we do things. We haven't invited the mayor to the meeting and I. Don't know how long um does anyone have any takes on that like should, should he come once a year or should we invite him every time should we.

H

Didn't mean they could run rough shot over the meeting. You.

C

Know that's true frequently.

H

Mayors used to come kind of when they wanted to um so I guess it means it. Should we invite him to be on the agenda or should we invite him to come hear what people think those are might be? Two different flavors of visit.

C

That's a good point: um yeah and I. Guess it's a matter of inviting or really asked like requesting. Can you be on the agenda versus yeah um or it just could just be during the community dinner um for more interaction? Does anyone else have any takes on that.

I

I just make the suggestion that if the mayor were formally engaged in the agenda in a regular way of any kind, then you might generate a sense of responsibility to the NPA. From that constant interaction and expectation that demand.

C

Thank you. Anyone else, and another kind of related is what about City departments and commissions, um that's another, so who we regularly invite.

C

For those who don't know so we always invite our city councilors, our school board, members, our state reps and our state senators. So uh we generally don't hear from City departments unless it's related to an agenda item or if they talk during public forum. Does anyone have any takes on this topic? Are there? Maybe we have a meeting dedicated to all of those different um commissions, or maybe we keep doing what we're doing.

J

um I'm just curious if you've ever had opportunities like for people to speak in smaller groups, because I know that sometimes I can feel intimidating like in front of the whole meeting. You know to have a conversation or like to ask a question of a commissioner or something so there is there ever opportunity for, like smaller group discussions with maybe like a few, you know, members of a city department or something like that.

C

Sort of came up during one of our steering committees, committee meetings, um I think one of the things that's a matter of recording the meeting makes it trickier for that aspect. But if we can get around that or have it be a supplemental thing or I, don't know I think it's a really good idea and would um make it easier to speak up.

D

What about people submitting questions that then get read by an NPA steering committee person.

E

I wanted to I I really loved, like I said earlier, the presentations that we received from um City departments and Commissioners. What does rub me? The wrong way is when people ask questions that are about completely irrelevant topics related to what they're talking about so I. Don't know if there's like a way to sort of manage that, but like people being really opportunistic and using you know the head of DPW here to ask about the rail yard District, but actually we're supposed to be talking about the North redusky Avenue pilot program is like pretty irritating.

E

So um that doesn't really answer your question, but it's related.

C

Thank you. It's Yeah, It's Tricky.

I

um I'm used to coming to npas and having very large-scale City initiatives discussed by departments that kind of thing but I wonder if the NPA might.

K

I

Occasionally, stepping up to help us advocate for neighborhood, specific issues and the reason I'm asking this is on Lower King Street. Every somebody from every house on our street signed a letter asking for a please slow for pets and children sign that we would pay for and and DPW would not.

I

So it it's one of those things that feels like a conversation starter that should be between neighborhoods and DPW, and this might be the proper place for that kind of conversation. But it's far more localized than I'm used to here. For you know, topic.

C

And I'm sure everyone, not everyone, might reached out to the end. It's also something to like advertise like this is part of what we do or something like that.

L

Very nice, all right, hey um I, think it's great to invite folks over, uh maybe not every single time. You know everybody's got a life, and people got family and stuff like that, but love to have different folks from the city come in and you know, obviously, if there's a particular issue that they want to bring forth.

L

That's great I think it would also be great to just kind of have in the background, whenever the opportunity strikes to just cycle through the different departments and committees, because I think there's a lot that we don't really understand as a normal citizen of what the city does, and so it would be great to meet the faces. Understand the this. This whole mechanism that the city is um yeah.

C

M

We actually used to do that years ago, like about eight or ten years ago. We would have a different department come to every meeting, and so we would not actually invite the uh the city department so much as we would invite the Commissioners. So we would invite the public works, commission and Commissioners more than the department head and we would do like.

M

For instance, we invited the cemetery Commissioners, which are kind of an overlapped there, but but we did do that in the past, but you also have to realize that the meetings used to be much longer in the past, so they started at 6 30 and they routinely went to 9 30..

M

So the meetings went three hours and typically especially in the January and February meeting there'd, be like 150 people there.

M

So if you go back like 10 years and you look on cctv.org and you look up for any meeting any second Thursday in January, February you're going to see a room at the old multi-gen building with like pact, so there every seat would be filled and the walls would all be lined with people for the January and February meeting, and so the only reason I'm just saying that the meetings used to be longer and we used to have many more.

M

You know we would go more in depth with things, for instance, for instance, believe it or not. We actually invited all the candidates one month from who were candidates for the Vermont Senate from Chittenden County, so we actually had like 15 Senate candidates come for that meeting, so you can tell that the meetings used to be a lot longer than they are today. But, yes, we did used to cycle through the commissions years ago.

M

I, don't know why we stopped doing that, because people really liked being able to talk to the Commissioners more than the department heads, because you do get a different take on what they're talking about. Thank you.

N

C

You Charlie.

C

um What yeah I mean the other questions are a little more open-ended um like what are there? Certain topics you want to hear about it does seem to be just whatever is topical, but does anyone else have anything to add on what we covered.

E

Maybe this can be done through a reframing of public comment, but when we were talking about the removal of parking spaces on North minuski Ave a few months ago, I was feeling really upset and I was craving. I think been thinking a lot about the role of positivity in change making and how it's important to focus on. What's working and it's important to like find commonality.

E

So it was wishing that as I was feeling rage, Bubble Up, that there was an opportunity for people to like share good news. So we could all just like celebrate and we could talk about like things that are working and I could sort of like focus on that, instead of focusing on like differences.

E

So maybe that could happen in public comment, but it could also be like a nice little um God. What's like the opposite of the amuse Bouche, because that comes before the meal, we need like an aper teeth at the end of the meeting to just like end on a positive note um and I think it would be really sweet and I kind of want to hear about like things that are really nice that are happening. It.

C

Can be like the Moment of Zen yeah.

E

Yeah exactly stay for.

C

E

I feel like we should add that in somewhere, and it would be really really good.

C

C

Many yeah last question any other feedback.

C

um I'll, since I think we have a couple more minutes, another some other ideas that the steering committee had talked about. One was having themed meetings, so one all about Public Safety, one about Transportation um that hasn't really taken off. um It's also like, as we get requests for people to speak.

C

We usually say us um if there's still time available, so does something like that interests, people um it would it wouldn't mean we're hard and fast about it, because we'll still take what matters in the moment, but um that was just one one idea of how to do things.

C

J

J

I'm I'm just curious, because I was surprised to hear that 10 years ago there would be 150 people at this meeting. So maybe this is sort of a side question, but from those who have been here for like 10 20 30 years in the mpa meetings like what, in your opinion, what do you feel like has changed um because I've, you know, I've we've been homeowners here for like two and a half years in this neighborhood, so we're relatively new. Is it like that there's more renters?

J

Is it people's resources, like a breakdown in the community feeling like just I, would love to hear opinions on that? Actually, because that might help guide really what we should be doing. The mpa.

F

I haven't been coming here that long, but um I've been in ward 3, most of the 10 years, I've been living in Burlington, except for a brief sojourn in Ward. Five don't go there um and we have had a big fall off in attendance since the pandemic before the pandemic.

F

All of these tables would be full of people eating dinner and probably half of them would leave at the end, but we would have a good turnout of 40 or 50 people on regular days when there was some big thing going on we'd get more than that, but I think the pandemic. We people haven't come back from the pandemic and I I, don't know when they're going to come back if they are going to come back but um I know.

F

A lot of people are not willing to come to a place like this and get exposed.

O

um So the NPA also had reduction in its budget when the NBA first came around. That was around Bernie's time. It was very powerful, Bernie kind of encouraged it to be a way to pass policies of circumventing the Council of other people back in the day. That's what it actually. It was called Council of aldermen and each NPA had a fifty thousand dollar budget.

O

um You know how much it is now I think it's 2500 and it used to be an independent budget, independent of the city council, because back then the city council was very hostile towards the NPA, so there has definitely been active neglect on the part of especially this Administration, um seeing you know that they they're interested in not having any accountability at all.

O

In my opinion, so they they've decreased the NPA budget and they have now like you, have to go to your city, council and kiss the ring in order to get the 2500 that's measly budget there, and it's really sad for me, especially like the award two and three were like the one NPA, where the sense of community I live in Ward five, our NPA sucked, um but the sense of community was really poppable like whenever you show up to the ward two and three- and you know I'm hoping you know this will get back to the attend the kind of attendance that you're talking about.

O

So we should. We need to push for a city, Charter change that will actually fund the NPA and give the NPA some real power uh right now. Npa resolutions have been traded as no more than advisory. If that we don't, it doesn't really have any real teeth, but we can change the city Charter. We can refund the NPA. I do think like some of these public safety issues that we are facing would be best solved at the NPA level.

O

um So, let's, let's work towards that. Thanks.

I

For the sake of it, people who don't follow things this closely. Not too many years ago, the npas were given three or four hundred dollars. Maybe- and there was an initiative from within the npas to raise that budget, and it was a struggle and it was an argument and we did to the 2500 level, and the logic was that with that that large increase from where we were demonstrating how it would be spent to strengthen the npas growing the strength of the npas organically and purposefully.

I

We would then be able to return and argue successfully for even more funding. So you know that that pattern of initiative has existed here in the NPA in the past and is one that we can all. If we choose to move forward to any goal we would set. But it's not a the topic is not one of uh of regret or remorsefulness. It's one of opportunity and optimism for us, and um you know for what it's worth.

C

Thank you so much um I think we're nearing or at the time for this agenda item, but I think this is really good and weave notes. um Thank you again. We'll move on to whatever's next.

B

Yeah awesome, thank you so much, it's so great to have everyone's voices in this meeting, um so we will move on to our resolutions.

B

um As our members said, they are advisory, um but they do have a certain um certain voice to them. So we do continue to do these resolutions when topics come up, so we have two of them today um and they are both written out on um on the document that looks like this. That should be on all of your tables, um so we will um do the first one, the top one. First.

B

um This is a resolution that came from within the steering committee upon the passing of our our steering committee member, our friend and our MPA member Tony, Reddington um and Chris. You were the one to propose this. Would you like to speak to it or should I give the introduction?

B

Okay yeah? So Tony was a long time advocate member Community organizer, and we felt that his particular advocacy for Paul for pedestrian and bicycle safety and his Fierce dedication to to roundabouts and bringing them to every corner of the street that they could be squeezed into deserved recognition and with the exciting completion of the Shelburne Shelburne Street roundabout.

B

We saw an opportunity so just drafted up the resolution as follows: Community Advocate, former Transportation planner and former NPA steering committee member Tony Reddington passed away this summer in rent in recognition of Tony's death, Decades of tireless advocacy on behalf of pedestrian and bicycle safety. His commitment to Transportation equity and his vocal support for roundabouts. The ward 2-3 NPA hereby requests that the Shelburne Street roundabout be officially designated the Tony Reddington roundabout.

B

So we would like to open it up for any discussion of that proposed resolution that would be sent to the Department of Public Works for consideration.

K

So before I met, Tony I really didn't know the difference uh between a roundabout and a traffic circle. uh I've since been educated, um you know I think if Tony were here, he would remind us that Burlington uh that has 10 of The 11, most dangerous intersections in the state of Vermont are located right here in Burlington. He'd also remind us that the roundabout is the only traffic control device that has got the approval from the National Highway Traffic National traffic, highway safety, administration, nisht I, think uh you know as being deemed to be safe.

K

um It also remind us that traffic fatalities uh often have a different portion of impact upon people of color and lower income.

K

Neighborhoods and he'd probably be continuing to advocate for changes to the great streets uh designed to include some roundabouts I think there was uh some interest in definitely putting one in the immediate neighborhood at uh Main Street in Saint Paul, so I learned a lot from Tony and uh I think that this is a very fitting and appropriate way to honor his work and his legacy and I would encourage everyone to to stand with us on this issue. Thank you, foreign.

B

Else like to comment, oh.

H

We'd all do well to be a lot more like Tony when we grow up.

I

I'm just glad to have a microphone to shout I love you Tony into um Tony. It was an example to everybody for his commitment and for how much he was how generous he was with the wisdom he had, because it was immense and I just respect him deeply and I love that we would honor him. This way.

F

Actually I think it's a no-brainer that it be called the Tony Reddington roundabout, and maybe we ought to tell him that.

B

Any other discussion, anyone on Zoom.

B

F

F

And especially when we went on.

F

To give a lot of money, two things like like.

F

I think it would be good to honor a public citizen to almost to the day he died, advocating.

B

For safety after roundabouts, like this one- and this is the.

B

Thanks Barbara anyone else.

P

I would say something.

B

Oh great Steven go ahead.

P

And he was so articulate and so intelligent and so committed to public service. That.

P

I think it's a great idea to name it after.

B

Him and I hope that that can go through politicians remaining great. Thank you with that. Could I get a motion to to vote on the resolution. Okay, remind me of your name: Barbara Barbara uh moves to to approve the resolution. Anyone second Genie seconds. Okay, great um anyone, any discussion, we kind of already had discussion. Everyone who supports please raise their hands foreign opposed.

B

Okay, the resolution is supported unanimously. Thank you. That's very exciting.

B

What wonderful? So our um second resolution has to do with um the uh the city put out a request for proposals in I believe October for the Redevelopment restoration of Memorial Auditorium um that those were due by December and at our December NPA meeting. We had a brief discussion about how uh big heavy World Jim Lockridge had submitted a request to join one of the redevelopers to reinstate the youth center in the basement of the Memorial Auditorium I'll. Give you an opportunity to correct anything.

B

I get wrong Jim in a second, so we had a brief discussion at the meeting. We decided to postpone a resolution to January and a resolution has been drafted that we can discuss now.

B

So I'll read it um so, whereas the residents of Burlington have identified support for Performing, Arts and youth programming as two of the top six priorities for a restored Memorial Auditorium, whereas the City of Burlington put forth a request for proposals for Memorial Auditorium and a local non-profit, big heavy world has proposed the reinstatement of the youth, music and youth-led programming in response to resident priorities in the city request.

B

Whereas the proposal from big heavy world is compatible with other proposals and can be incorporated into future proposals and programming proposed by other developers, be it resolved that the ward 2 3 NPA supports the proposal of big heavy world to re-establish the teen Youth Center, formerly known as 242 Main Street, located in the lower level of Memorial Auditorium.

B

So Jim, would you like to say anything about your proposal.

I

I

B

M

I

The Proposal that big heavy World submitted was specific to the historic 242 Main space and the janitors area behind it, and uh it's not a competitive proposal to redevelop the whole building. It's it's a programming proposal that we hope that the successful developer of the whole building will incorporate and it is uh significantly a proposal that aligns with the public interests expressed in the 2018 public process.

I

For what they'd like to see reinstated for programming in Memorial Auditorium, it's one way to to cling to the Public's vision and voice for a memorial as well as serve the youth that had this resource taken away in 2016. When the Building closed, the the vision is one of a collective effort to bring youth programming from across the city to the space that has infrastructure for the Performing Arts.

B

Great. Thank you any discussion or questions about this resolution before we make a motion.

A

I would just like to voice my support for this resolution.

A

Thank you, um personal story I had to due to some family drama I had to take in my nephew, which I was happy to do. He came to live here with me when he was 10 and when he was 12, I got guardianship of him, so he's my kid and 242 was a vital space.

A

He is very creative musically and they had this wonderful Rock Camp, which they had for many many years, which gave kids opportunities. You like you didn't have to know how to play an instrument you could show up and you could learn how to play an instrument, and they would just group the kids by different levels.

A

They would have opportunities to perform together to write their own music. There would be performances for their friends and family. It was just a really vital space in terms of that Rock Camp it was, it was cheap for the amount of times he could go three days a week after school. I didn't have to worry about where he was because he loved it and I. Just think that we are really it's left a huge hole in our community.

A

For that we do not have a lot of positive resources for teenagers, and if we can somehow get this back- and it just pains me- it's not a priority of the city, but if we can all approve this resolution and give voice to its importance, that would be great. Thank you.

B

Questions or comments.

Q

B

Great, um would someone like them to make a motion regarding the resolution to make a to make a motion? Would someone make a motion to vote on the resolution.

B

Joe moves that we vote on the resolution. Thank you. Chris would like to Second it great any discussion before we vote.

B

Okay, all in all those who support the resolution as drafted, please indicate by raising your hand.

B

Anyone opposed.

B

Great thank you. The resolution passes unanimously wonderful.

B

um Moving on to our next agenda item. At our last NPA meeting, we had a presentation about Community block grants and requested that a Community member volunteer to serve as the award to rep for the community block grant advisory committee, and we have someone Tara volunteered.

B

She is a member of Ward 2 and just wanted to create a space to to say that we now have a representative thank Tara for for stepping up to this volunteer position, and would you like to introduce yourself thank you.

Q

Hi, my name is Tara I've been a resident of Burlington since 2008. I moved into the old North End in 2012., so I've been around for for a bit moved back here about two years ago, I live over on Spring, Street and I'm working for a grant program related to the performing arts for covert relief.

Q

So um I have a I, also work for Efficiency Vermont for about six years, and so I did some grants through there for Energy Efficiency, so excited to be able to take kind of my uh professional expertise, and you know apply it to some local community work so happy to answer any questions or I, don't know but nice to meet. Everybody awesome thanks.

B

B

Great moving on to our main agenda item for the evening, we're going to spend the next hour learning about ballot initiatives that will be on the town meeting day ballot. So we'll start off with we'll have 10 minutes for each ballot initiative. There's six initiatives, we're hoping to have about a five minute overview of that um of that initiative.

B

Some of the initiatives we have a pro and a con presentation about some of them. We just have a Semi-Pro or informational type presentation, so five minutes for information and then we're trying to have five minutes for Q a or comments about it. So we'll start off with all legal resident voting.

R

This one should work that works, oh yeah, so again, I'm Gene, Bergman, I'm, the ward, 2 City, councilor and I'm on the charter change committee and, in fact, was the chair of that. So Charter change committee brought this particular item to uh to us and work through the um adoption of um this proposal for all legal resident voting in local elections.

R

um Since we started really a meeting in April and it simply put it allows it would authorize if the people of Burlington approve it and then the legislature and the governor adopt it. It would allow anybody who is a legal permanent resident of the United States, not a citizen but legal, permanent residents to be able to vote in local elections and just to put it into context. This is what Winooski and Montpelier did and despite the governor's opposition, it was adopted in both of those cities.

R

So ours is a is based on those and um is before us um why only local elections? That's because the U.S and state constitutions prohibit non-citizens from voting in that, and we just can't overcome that. So um this this would allow anybody who is here permanently with legal status, to not only be able to vote but also be able to serve any of the positions that a legal voter has to a person has to be a voter, a legal voter to be able to um to run for and serve. So.

R

The mayor has to be a voter of the City of Burlington, and this would allow a legal resident to run for mayor. So you don't not necessarily. Not only do you get a chance to vote for mayor, but you could run for mayor. It would allow any of our commissions to be opened up to Legal resident legal residents that are that are permanently here in the United States. So it's really um that basic and I think that um now's a good time to answer questions. If there are any.

B

Or comments or statements about this ballot item.

F

F

I would just like to give a little bit of my experience, because I worked for immigration for many years, and the two big steps when you come to this country are legal, permanent, resident and citizenship and from the government's perspective, the big issue is legal. Permanent residents.

F

Citizenship is is easy, but legal permanent resident is where they do all of the research into the background of the people. It's where they check to make sure that they are suitable for our country, and it is a much bigger hurdle so that I think we can be fairly confident that anybody who is here as a legal permanent resident has met all of the requirements other than perhaps the language and the knowledge of of the Constitution um and would be acceptable after seven years of living here without getting busted um to be citizens.

R

I I should just point out that we've been working on public engagement with the pseudo office, and so there are there there's a there's. A web page with um fact, uh frequently asked questions and assorted. Other information I just made a copy of them in there, and so that stuff is available.

R

uh I gotta find my your url at uh burlingtonvt.gov backslash all legal resident voting. So you can you can get that information. It's got some pretty interesting uh stuff on it and we tried to answer the detailed questions. So if we don't have them here and now then.

M

So I'm Charlie G um I just wanted to say one thing about this. This is a very modest proposal. Okay, so there's the reality of what has happened in Winooski and Montpelier, where they're already using it.

M

There hasn't been this big flood of people, taking advantage of it, it's very modest so for people who are concerned that um suddenly there's going to be a flood of new people, utilizing this, that's really I doubt that's really going to be the case, it's very very mildly, taken care of and taken advantage of so I support it myself and I as a ward clerk. Believe me, I'm, always trying to find more people to participate in the voting process, so I fit in very nicely with this, but it is a very.

M

It has been very modestly utilized up to this point in Montpelier and in Winooski. Thank you.

R

Foreign I'd say that they'd also be eligible to be Ward, clerks and inspectors of election and help and also assistant election officials to help with the process of the election.

R

um And let me just end this, then um by saying it to me. It really um gives life to the uh the concept of a government of by and for the people and we've been striving for that since uh Lincoln said that at the Gettysburg address and we haven't gotten there yet. So this is one other step.

B

um I understand we have two questions on Zoom.

R

B

Christopher foreign.

S

And they have expressed to me uh besides the portion, especially the one process that they were. Actually um it undermines it dilutes. What the importance of what.

S

I also think that while yes have already.

P

S

So with that being said, I think, because those are just in addition to what uh these are um learned and improve to the community. So um again, thank.

R

You councilor working for everything but yeah. Thank you. If, if I can just uh mention, we've brought this um to The Trusted Community Voices, which is a group made up of members of various new American communities as well as and I'm going to forget the name. Another group, that is a Statewide group and they have not expressed opposition they've, expressed support for this. That is not to say that there aren't members of The New American Community.

R

Who would would feel that way and as a as a grandson of a of an immigrant, my myself, who ended up getting citizenship along in maybe 20 years after he got here.

R

um I mean I, appreciate the the uh the differences of opinion and that's why we have elections is to to have them go on out there and uh just in terms of the the court cases is a Vermont Supreme Court in oframat Superior Court in two separate cases has ruled that this is a valid and constitutional act and if it's being appealed to the Vermont Supreme Court we'll just find out how that shakes out when it shakes out.

S

Many others city government are here to help help navigating the process and studying for the exams and any kind of child, that's necessary when you're here. So the community's here, for you.

B

New Americans and citizenship. Thank you. I believe Steve on Zoom has like his hand up.

P

No thank you. My question was answered.

B

Thank you great thanks. Steven.

B

Okay, we've reached 10 minutes for this agenda item, uh so we'll move on unless it's really Pro. Okay, a softy.

A

Thank you, I just want to say, as a candidate for city council I strongly support this ballot item.

B

Okay, great: let's move on to.

R

Rankings Choice voting uh and I'm on this for this one too. So that's why I'm sitting here um quite simply, last year, we um as a city by a 64 vote, um have adopted ranked Choice voting for city council races, and this proposal is to expand that to all the other elected uh positions in the city, the mayor's school board and the election officials like Charlie or Wendy Co. So that's the the long and the short of what's being proposed and um yeah I mean I. Will let people talk.

B

uh Shelby just asked if you could explain.

R

Ranked Choice voting would allow you to put your your choices. If you want say Milo is running and say there were three other people who were running. You would rank how you would like your vote to be cast. So if your first point, your first choice is Milo. You put that down. If there is second, if another person was running, was your second choice.

R

If Milo dropped out you'd, be you know, somebody else and down the line so, and they just ran that in um Ward uh one, and in fact uh you know in the East District in the special election and uh you've got to clear the 50 threshold for um getting elected, and in that case uh the winner Maya Brandt got 55 percent on the first ballot. So there was no need to see who the second choice.

R

um Votes were for the the third candidate who lost on that so that that's sort of how it works that there's. You know there are rules that are created so that the whole tabulating process it works.

R

But you know that's more of the the mechanics of the voting, um the tabulating machines, and what have you, but basically you just get a chance to to say how you would like the the people to be and that what it does is. It means that you can vote your your conscience and there's and a person who is um you know, might not be likely to to win.

R

Has a um can be there without being seen as a spoiler, because if nobody gets enough votes to put them over the top, then your their votes or the people who voted for them have a chance to have what's effectively an instant runoff.

R

And if you don't want that to happen, you know- and you just say, I only want one person and I don't care in a runoff and I. Wouldn't I wouldn't go out in a runoff anyway, then um then, that's what you would do and so that's how it basically works.

B

Great we'll turn to zoom. First and Christopher. Aaron has his hand up.

R

That's okay, Chris, the gene is, is appropriate.

S

Different types of strategies.

S

Rainbow Bridge some people have a strategy where they're like low one or two and others voting. um We can talk about that later, but I'm kind of curious in the in the youth District did what percentage of the voters actually rank votes and.

R

How many just kind of bullet voted, I I personally, don't know: okay, okay,.

H

So um in case, people are really unfamiliar with it, which I have no idea how to guess it used to be called instant runoff voting and that's more clear explanation of how it works, and the other thing is um what you alluded to about: spoilers and confusions, or messes like that. If you, if you want to vote for your friend and you still want to have a say in the Final End, even if your friend doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell, you can do both.

H

You can have your cake and eat it too, in this system. I. Think by my understanding, if I'm wrong, correct me, but that's one of the beauties of it and it is used in a couple of places in the world much more widely than it is in the U.S.

R

I mean the state of Maine is going to be. um It does run its Congressional races, uh state of Alaska uh just used it as well, and a host of other Ireland.

D

I'm going to give it not so long ago, example: uh Moreau, um Karina, Driscoll and infinite cook, closure, I, think I'm, I'm, probably not pronouncing anybody's names correctly. I definitely wanted Karina to win. I definitely did not want Moreau to win.

D

I would have preferred to have infinite, be our mayor over Moreau, but I could only cast one vote. If I was able to do this system, I would have been able to say this is my first choice. This is my check. Second choice: I, don't know if you get a third trace or not you do I, probably wouldn't have put Moreau down at all, but or maybe I would have I, don't know, but therefore I wouldn't have to choose between voting for either infinite or Karina and I.

D

Think a lot of people did, and that was on you know. Unfortunately, more people voted for Moreau than they did just Karina or just infinite.

R

uh This last election, um the mayor won with like 43 percent of the vote, 129 uh vote difference and Ali Jang uh got like 13 to 18 percent. That's that's a significant number. Nobody knows what would have happened, but you know this way. A person can run with significant support and not be considered a spoiler. You get a chance to run on the merits and people get a chance to vote for them. So, on a personal basis, I think that it's a it's a good system to have.

O

um So, as I was part of the infinite for mayor campaign in that election, though most of the uh fought lies in the threshold of the election, which is 40 only 40 percent, uh whereas in most democracies it's 50 plus one. uh Our position was that we and had we had like democratic election in where in which, like somebody, has to win at least half of the vote.

O

Then we would have forced a runoff which would have given more attention sure it's like more expensive, but this is the only time the mainstream is ever gonna like politics really, so it would have given us like three four more weeks of discussions with our neighbors um and that's like. What's really unfortunate, is like that 40 threshold, which I think this will address that right, like that, so you have to clear the 50 so.

R

That's correct.

B

Stephen on Zoom, you can go ahead.

P

um I heard what Judy said about the last that election here in Burlington and I, just what I don't understand is what happens if someone doesn't reach the 50 per threshold, close.

R

And just that foot him or her over 50 percent, the the the answer is yes, if you then allocate the second uh um Choice votes from the person, who is the lowest vote getter, and if that then they clear the threshold um Janet's right, it's more like an instant runoff right then, and there.

P

One of the candidates was encouraging people to look around the second as a way to achieve um electability, but I know that there's a possibility of that would be. It would be a play here, but it could be yeah.

R

I mean the argument is that people have to appeal to Broad categories of people if they want to get the second vote, it's their second choice, votes or even third choice votes. Then you you, you alienate people at your own peril, so I I, don't know that I would call it gaming, but it is it definitely part of uh the the campaign strategies that need to be adjusted when you've got ranked choice.

B

Great, thank you. We've reached 10 minutes for this agenda item, so thank you very much for presenting and we'll move on to redistricting. um We have two presenters who would like to speak to redistricting. We have councilman um Joe Mage and then we also have um Chris from the steering committee, who is also involved in the community effort around redistricting. So um if each of you could have two and a half minutes to um to present, will then move on to questions and comments.

T

Okay thanks everybody, um so I will be quick and I'll just touch on some high level points. I know that redistricting has been talked about a lot in this room over the last several months. We've talked about it. A lot at city council, and uh you know, between now and town meeting today, I'd be happy to sit with folks and answer any questions.

T

I did send Sam the map to put up on uh the screen here, it's kind of small, so it might be difficult for folks to see um I think it would be great if there was a way for the steering committee to potentially add this to the agenda, so that, if folks want to view this map, they can find it.

T

um But the few points that I'll touch on right now are: we are going to be sticking with the eight Ward and four District configuration for this round of redistricting, so we'll have um 12 counselors continuing to serve on the council.

T

If this passes on town meeting day earlier versions of the maps considered for redistricting would have had seven Wards, which would have meant that one of the new North End Wards would have come down into the old North End and scooped everything west of lafountain, Street and North of North Street to the most extreme extent, and most folks, north of North Street, would have had to go to a new North End NPA I fought pretty hard against that I'm, not very happy with the map that we've ended up with.

T

It still has a ward 3 losing a significant amount of the neighborhoods north of North Street, um but the old North End will remain part of will remain the old North End.

T

One of the primary questions that the council grappled with throughout the process was the number of counselors the size of the council, myself and others advocated for increasing the council to 16, so that would have meant sticking with eight Wards and having two counselors per Ward.

T

Others felt that that was too many I personally feel like there is enough work to go around for us to have 16 counselors I. Think we are growing as a city and I think it would make sense for us to have a larger Council.

T

uh Another question that kind of took control of the conversation towards the end of the process was the student populations in Wards one six and eight, and that is really what dictated the map that you see on the screen right now, um which has created a an arm of wardate, uh going on to athletic campus and armor of Ward, one going on to athletic campus and Ward 6 being drawn to keep Edmonds Middle School in the ward, so that they can have that as their polling location, because there aren't very many other places for folks to vote in Ward 6..

T

So that is I. Think some of the the larger um issues that drove the redistricting conversation and I'd be happy to answer. Any questions after Chris presents.

K

I

K

um I think we have to go back 10 years to the last time. We did this and you know coming into this, the last recycle. In 2014 we had a map where we had seven Wards, with two councils for a total of 14 and um the last time that the map would have been done before. That was 1993, and in that time the city grew. So one would think initially that if their population grows, maybe we should have greater representation to reflect the growth in population.

K

Yet the last time around, despite a growth in the City's population, we ended up with this hybrid model, where we had eight Wards in four districts, so we lost representation.

K

Yet the city continue to grow, and so this time I think folks were to councilor McGee's credit uh wanting to bring back representation, and one of the things that I think folks were wanting was to have go back to a model where we had two counselors for war. They kind of didn't like the one and a half counselor uh model, and yet uh that's not what we ended up with and at the end of the day. For me, it really comes down to public process.

K

Here the council did to put together an ad hoc committee on redistricting to identify Community concerns and priority priorities for the um for the process, and that group met several times throughout the fall of 2021 held a number of public hearings to solicit input from the community. Regarding this issue and ultimately issued a final report uh on those efforts and of the the final report, a couple key themes: three themes emerged that one the current Ward 8 is not working in its current configuration. There are a number of issues with this.

K

In the last cycle, there was a kind of a desire to kind of you know, have all the students be together in one word, a practice known in political circles as packing, and this time around they saw that. Well, you know we had a ward with a large number of students. We had issues with turnout. We had issues finding people to work the elections. You know there was a number of issues with that, so they said well, let's, let's spread out the students, let's distribute them across multiple Wards.

K

So that's how we ended up with the current shape of Ward 8, which you see behind me, I'm, not sure that we really, you know, met the criteria that people were looking for in terms of eliminating the current Ward 8.. A second theme that emerged pretty strongly was a desire to eliminate the district system whereby we had districts that overlaid the wards each district being comprised of two separate Wards. People really want to go back to a system where we had two counselors and, and that didn't happen, and then the other theme was.

K

Is that folks wanted to preserve neighborhood, keep Wards Compact and provide equal representation? And that's really what this is about at the heart of it and as someone who is intimately involved, I advocated for a re-establishment of a downtown Ward. Also the unification of the king Maple neighborhood.

K

One of the I think challenges that we saw with the current map is that the king Maple neighborhood, which is Vermont's largest community of color, is divided right down the middle through uh King Street, and so there was an issue, an initiative to kind of unify the neighborhood and really kind of keep them together. And ultimately, what we ended up with is a boundary that was moved. One block South to Maple Street, which severed the Bob and Mill neighborhood from the remainder of King maplehood. So it failed and to council McGee's point.

K

There was a lot of concern from people in the hill session of the city about having college students in their in their Ward that their vote would somehow be diluted by having it. So um really they got what they wanted at the expense of young people and at the expense of Vermont's largest community of color, and at the end of the day, when you go through the public report, which I hope we'll post up on our website and look at the criteria and look at the feedback and then compare the map on the ballot.

K

To what was discussed. It seems to me that it really didn't satisfy the criteria that we had articulated as a larger community, and so for that reason, I will not be supporting that and I would encourage everyone here to kind of review. The report take a look at it and come to their own conclusion.

B

Thank you. Both questions and comments about redistricting.

M

Okay, so again, I'm Charlie, G um I just have a couple extra points to make. So the first thing is, people saw the ward 8 from the last from the last goal around about 10 years ago, and a lot of people are negative about that, as I was negative about him. People look at it, and the first thing that comes to your mind is gerrymandering or gerrymandering, even though packing is the proper expression for it. um Okay,.

E

M

Well, it's not technical anyways!

M

um It's really not all that bad, because if you look at the history of Burlington of all the city councilors, how many in the history of Burlington how many city councilors were under the age of 30., okay, but what happened when they put in Ward 8, all of a sudden, you had these very, very young. So for the first time you actually had the students actually represented on the city council for the first time in almost Burlington history.

M

That's one point the second point: when it comes to redistricting anytime, you have something like a city, it's the central part of the city that gets affected most by the the redistricting, so in Burlington. That means that Wards, four and seven in the new North End they're barely going to be affected by redistricting Wards five and six, except for maybe some students again is very little affected by by the redistricting you're going to get all the contortions in the middle of the city. Then that's just a natural way.

M

It happens in municipalities all over the world. So is something we're stuck with so I'm, assuming that this is going to pass I'm going to vote against it, but Wards four and seven I think will those people will overwhelmingly support it because it doesn't really there's no change same thing in words, five and six for the most part, it doesn't really affect them much. So my opinion is they're overwhelmingly going to vote for favorite when it comes to voting so again, I'm going to vote against it. But you know what what can you do?

M

You got to have some change sooner or later. Thank you.

T

And I'd just like to add quickly off of what Charlie said uh myself and my Progressive colleagues on the council did vote against this map. We tried to move a map that would create a downtown Ward and address a lot of the concerns that folks had. Ultimately, we didn't have the votes and uh functionally the council had run out of time.

B

I think Barbara has her hand up on Zoom nope.

F

Neighborhood being.

S

F

Kim City Academy.

F

I don't understand.

D

Why they're not too not too, for a normal district and why they have to be these.

D

Historical districts, it really um goes against my brain, so I'm.

B

Gonna I'm gonna make time for two more short questions or comments, so we'll go with Christopher Aaron on zoom and then somebody in the room. If there is one.

S

S

They wanted to return to. It can afford.

S

um I also agree with councilor MCD.

M

S

Is enough work for additional counselors in the city and our city? Our citizens deserve our residents to deserve it, and for this reason and I'm also a ble to reject line board, start a gun and really engage and listen to and um I'm gonna. Do everything that I can to make sure that the people of the New York that and do.

B

Reach Out now, thank you. Thank you. Anyone in the room, okay,.

R

Just just a quick note that there are two public hearings that are going to be held, one on the on the 17th and one on the 23rd, and if people are serious about um beating this or actually any of the um the items, even though I support um all these other ones, um it's very important that people go to public hearing and express uh the concerns there at City, Hall and they're they're, also via Zoom. So it's just going to be like a regular city council meeting.

R

So if you got issues you should continue to raise it um because that's how the Democratic struggle is waged uh the 17th, so that's next Tuesday and then the 23rd, the Monday after that.

B

Move on to the next ballot item to keep us roughly on schedule, um so thank you both very much. um We have Tyler with us to speak to the ballot initiative of police oversight board.

U

Hi thanks um cool.

I

U

Hi everyone, my name, is Tyler I live in Ward, 8 and I'm part of a group of folks in Burlington called people for police accountability, and we formed in 2020 kind of during the the peak of of calls for reform and accountability in the the police department, um kind of brought brought to light by the The Battery Park movement um and yes, just kind of bringing to light some of these really disturbing cases of of violence against black members of our community and and other people and lack of transparency around disciplinary processes um and yeah.

U

So this group we've been kind of carrying this proposal through um the process to to get on the ballot, uh and so basically, this proposal would establish an independent Board of Burlington residents. That, in cases of police misconduct would, at their discretion, uh have the authority to to take up cases and conduct investigations and and make actual disciplinary decisions.

U

This proposal was developed by councilor Freeman on the charter change committee, with help from Gene Bergman and a lot of input from the community, including black community members, and this proposal actually passed City Council in 2020, but it was vetoed by the mayor and one vote short of overriding the veto, and so over the past couple years we've been Gathering petition signatures to be able to get it directly on the ballot, and so that was successful. This past fall, and so that's how it's on the ballot and um yeah.

U

This proposal has support from a lot of local organizations. Aclu Vermont was huge and kind of helping craft the language, the National Association of community over site of law enforcement, Express support, Vermont racial Justice, Alliance, migrant Justice, lots of other groups, um yeah, so yeah happy to answer questions. If folks have it yeah go ahead.

D

A draft of what will ballot yet I know it hasn't been approved just a general just to give us a general heads up.

U

Yeah so for one I do have some copies of like the full length of the proposal um on the table here. Folks want to look at that. I know the public hearings for this and I guess. Maybe other of the the ballot initiatives are on the 17th and the the 23rd, um so I think some of the the language will be finalized there. I do have a copy of the petition, which has I think the language that goes on the ballot yeah, so I have that up here as well.

B

Is that fairly short, would you is that appropriate to read.

U

Right now, for.

B

Edification yeah.

U

It's a little page, nine.

U

Yeah you want to yeah, go ahead, it's a little jargony, but.

R

I mean it's it's it's long. uh You know if you're looking to, because what it what it does, is it actually cites the entire Charter related to police discipline, which right now vests sole Authority in the chief to do that and uh and and gives it to the to a board and then also gives um Authority for that board to give um to decline for things that are too small like being late. You know something like that. So I mean it's a fairly complicated um thing and I.

R

Think that the for me, and as one of the drafters of this the most important takeaway, is that this is so that the police, don't police themselves and every other um professional body when it comes to discipline, has an independent body that adjudicates, when somebody does misconduct, and this totally vests the um the authority in a chief, and you saw what the impact of that was in disciplinary decisions a few years ago, and it seems to be a totally legitimate way of addressing this, and it still gives the police commission, which we've got um great authority over the auditing and monitoring of the department.

R

I'm sorry, I'm sort of stealing your thunder Tyler, but.

R

Is going to be the location of the direction? um It is it's a.

R

It's the establish I mean the most important thing is in a new section: 190 that establishes a board that says a community Police Department control board, consisting of no less than seven members, and no more than nine members is established. The board shall be an independent Department of the city and then it goes on to Quorum and it gives qualifications and diversity and then gives the jurisdiction and the jurisdiction is the investigation and adjudication of misconduct. So it's not the running of the entire department.

R

The mayor just put out a statement today that says that it's about the running of the department and it's just flat wrong great.

B

R

Anyway, yeah don't get me started. Thank you.

F

Does it say who points the.

U

Community, yes um yeah, so it's kind of a I think two two-step process um that that's focused on uh representation, particularly for folks who have historically are currently been marginalized by by police and the the criminal justice system, um but yeah. So there's a section here called selection.

U

Essentially the city council with the mayor, choose a set of seven community-based organizations that have an interest in and there's kind of, a list here: civil rights, immigrant, immigrant rights, disability rights, mental health, racial equity and social justice that also have an interest in the safety of the city and Criminal Justice Reform. Three of the organizations to the extent possible, should be black LED or majority black membership.

U

Each organization shall appoint a representative to an appointment committee and then this appointment committee will directly appoint qualified persons to be members of the board, so that appointment committee is then subject to open meeting law and those kinds of things. um So.

F

Yeah, it's not the mayor.

U

So it's not the mayor, no city, council and the mayor choose a set of seven community-based organizations with particular criteria. Those organizations give a member to an appointment committee and then that committee directly appoints people to the board, hope that made sense to people.

B

A

hmm Thank you. um This is a hard one for me. I I support it I wasn't sure I would support it. Speaking with my Police Commissioner had on, because there was a lot of things that the commission was doing pushing forward towards certain reforms, but we just keep getting the door slammed in our face and it's not gotten better. It's gotten worse and.

A

Thank you, and because of this pushback um and this lack of desire for any type of Reform, remember when the mayor talked about transformation. Do we remember how supposedly important that was?

A

It doesn't mean anything anymore that was just the political spin back then, so we really need something to to jump start the process and I think I'll leave it at that. Thank you. Thank you.

F

My sense is that this will actually put some teeth into handling the police, because I don't think the current police commission has the power. Has the authority to do what this proposal gives the new commission, um because I don't think you have the ability to go over what is in the Police contract for a maximum penalty.

F

And I don't know if this gives the commission the ability to give a punishment in excess of what is in the Police contract.

R

I mean the answer is yes, this is a state statute. If voters and the legislature and the governor all approve it and it becomes a special statute and that actually does uh Trump uh the con. The contract.

U

um Yeah, if I could just make one one last comment: um I know that safety in our community and everywhere is a huge topic right now and um I think that something you're going to hear a lot of rhetoric around like resourcing and the size of the police department and how we address public safety concerns and just want to be clear that you know, regardless of of where you are in that conversation, this this proposal does not have to do with the size of the police department um or anything like that.

U

This is purely about establishing direct accountability between our Public Safety Systems. You know whatever we choose them to be, and the community and that's important in any sort of Public Safety institution that we give power to.

B

Great, thank you. Tyler I think we'll leave it at that, and thank you very much for joining us to present.

B

Great so next we have Fareed and Amy to speak to prop zero.

N

Okay, okay, um I'm Amy. um This is actually my first NPA meeting so foreign exciting um Okay cool, so proposition zero, um I always say this before I start talking about it. The powers that this proposes actually exist in every well, nearly every city in town in Vermont, just not here, and it exists through the long-standing tradition of town meeting days.

N

So um but Burlington Winooski were too big. So we don't get to gather up at an auditorium and debate and be able to propose ordinances or repeal ordinances by majority vote. We just have the ballot so to fix this Winooski actually changed their Charter and I think to 2018 or 2019, um and we are just stealing the same language and trying to put it in ours. So what does it do? um I think the the most exciting part of it um is about proposing ordinance. So I'll talk a little bit about that.

N

So let's say you have an idea: I, don't know what you want to change about Burlington, uh whatever you're dreaming about right. um If you write it up into a petition, you run around Burlington and you get five percent of Voters to sign. That petition. Saying like I, think that's a good idea too. It can go to city council and they can say yes or they can say no or maybe they say yes, but then the mayor's does know, and he vetoes it right in our current system.

N

Things just die there, but what this would say is hey. You ran around. You showed enough of Burlington's interested in this. It shouldn't just die there. It should get to go on the ballot and Burlington should get to have the final say and have the final vote. So what this does is, in spirit really just gives a little bit more people power in the hands of Burlington that in a really radical way, but just in the way that the rest of Vermont has been experiencing for a very long time.

N

That's it I, don't know if Reid wants to add more.

B

Your questions, Amy uh yeah questions, comments, concerns.

N

Yeah so I think you're asking what's the percent, oh, so, okay, so you have to get five percent of Voters to sign the petition and now, as someone who has spent a lot of hours, campusing partitions I can tell you that's a lot of signatures uh and a lot of hours in the cold. um So once you get those, then that can go to city council and if they pass it totally cool. But let's say they don't pass it once it goes on the ballot.

N

um The majority, so 50 percent of Burlington, plus one I believe, would have to vote Yes for it to happen um and then also um even then I believe if it isn't actually a charter change at that point, it would still have to go up to the state level and they would have to approve it. So um it's not just like anything can happen. There's still some guardrails there.

M

So how many registered voters are there in Burlington.

N

um I, don't remember the exact number off the top of my head, but I know that the amount that we had to get in order to get this on the ballot which was five percent, was about 1 863, something like that. But then a bunch of them are going to be invalid, so you're gonna have to get more than that. So it's really more about like 2 500 you have to get in order for it to really be solidly.

N

um You know go forward.

B

Other questions concerns.

O

V

O

To say that it's kind of radical in that it goes to the root of decision making I do believe, especially with the current configuration of the city council. There is no check and balances there. The mayor could just now have a just pass like uh whatever agenda he wants, and so this will. Let us participate and I do think. People have the right to participate in decision that impact our lives and those that are directly impacted should have more direct, say, and that's all of us.

N

I'll just add: it's called proposition zero, because once this get passed, I mean the seed I want to plant is like what's proposition one like: what are we gonna do with it? The first thing that wanuski did they made it so that all legal residents could vote. That's you know, that's what you know things we care about. So what what do we want to do once we get it passed right.

C

B

Okay, any other questions.

B

Wonderful. Thank you both okay, we'll move on to our last um ballot question, which is approval of our school budget. So we'll have our school Commissioners come up and tell us about the school budget, and we have about five minutes for introduction and then five minutes for questions.

D

I would like to frame this that so for those of you that are totally new every year the citizens of Burlington vote on the financial, the financial amount that the school is requesting to spend to educate the youth throughout the city, um and that is I I, don't know what the exact number is yet, of course it has to get approved by city council before it goes on the ballot and that's happening at the end of January Gene. Do you know when the final approval for ballot items are or Joe.

D

No, you don't have to. You only have to put oh I'm wrong that that's happened before. That was just the bond. No no bond a bond amount has to be approved. This is just the regular school budget right tell us what it is.

D

Okay, um so the way that it's broken down this year, so the superintendent has tried to basically establish a baseline, which you might refer to as an equal um way to approach funding, each school's basic needs or he's calling it the foundational model, and on top of that, there's something called The Rise allocation, which is a a monetary amount based on student population, as in like how many kids, but also there's a weighted um per pupil amount that is based on their needs and because it costs more money to educate, different kids with different needs, and one of those is if they're living in poverty it's more expensive if they are on a independent educational plan, there's a slew more Staffing, you know legal things that need to be put in place in order to educate them, so each of and the rise allocations are divided.

D

Each school gets their own based on their need, based on their amount of kids and the principals discuss they get together and they discuss how they want to allocate These funds and then they decide eat and then each School Community decides or gives input to the principal or whoever I think it's more than just the principle that decide how those funds for each School Community are going to be allocated.

D

So it's kind of like City or it's kind of like State and like City decisions. So it's like the the the overall and then the local control kind of piece, and that approach has been probably that process has been incredibly transparent, not just the process of like how the foundational model, but also the rise allocation um School communities. They everything has been very out in the open about.

D

um You know, though, you only see a number on the ballot there's all of these things that are going to be done in order to achieve that monetary amount, and we had a recent um presentation at the board and there are definitely some cuts that our neighbors are upset about and there's definitely additions. Well, not many, but um you know the conversations are being had. Meetings are being made, lots of emails are being sent and we're hoping to work out some of those Kinks. This is definitely a transitional time.

D

Trying to get to this foundational or base model is about planning for the future. We all know the bond is going to impact our taxes. We all know we're pretty freaked out about how expensive things have gotten in Burlington and- and we know it's coming down- um we know it's in store for us not too far off the bond in order to build the high school.

D

It's we're going to be we're going to be that's going to start to impact taxes next year and it's probably a whole another year before we really know what the weighted pupil Statewide legislative decision is going to do to our educational.

D

Funding from the state, which would be a positive, um but we don't know how much of a positive so planning for the future with a lot of uncertainty, but at the same time trying to think about it's basically like a three to five year plan um and right now, the transitional stuff. It's I, don't think it's as transitional or as slow of a transition as some of our neighbors want it. But hopefully those things are going to be worked out.

W

um I think add that the superintendent Tom Flanagan and the Executive Director of Finance Nathan Lavery have worked really hard to create a responsible budget and that the percentage increase that we're seeing is both the school annual budget and the cost of the bond. And it's not a very high number when you consider those two things combined, um I think they're trying really hard to repeat something that Jeannie said to look at this parody across schools.

W

Like the student teacher ratio being the same across schools, special education needs being met across schools and that the distinct personalities of schools would be met by the rise allocation funding, which is a little bit more complicated than that, like you, can't just go in and say: hey I'm, this kind of school I need this much money, but that's the gist of it.

W

um They are trying to respond to what is described as Statewide declining enrollment. We have certainly seen some of that at the high school, although I would say that that could also be related to the pandemic and to the shutdown of BHS. So that's probably an anomaly but they're. Looking at that too, because that's a reality, um what I have concerns about in the budget that they've proposed is the um proposed they call it riffing reduction in force.

W

The acronym is riffing of teachers, people who or some a couple of para educator positions who work directly with students and then adding in a couple of instructional coach positions at the high school instructional coaches do not work directly with students, they work with teachers or special Educators and um I'm I'm struggling with that, because I feel, like budgets, are so lean. We need as many people as we can working directly with students. So that's something that I've shared openly at the January third meeting that we had.

W

If you want to see the recording of that, you can find it on the website or on YouTube, and that we will probably be hashing out again at our January 17th meeting.

B

Great. Thank you we'll open up for questions or comments about the school budget.

D

Stephen on Zoom Stephen on Zoom, yes,.

P

I've been in many many schools and I've been around for a long time, so I kind of know what I'm talking about, but um I just wanted to express my concerns about this cost. That's being that you think, and the state expanding toward a non-teaching personality in Burlington approaching the million dollars per year, because when I was on board.

P

About 700 per year, now it's going up to about a billion with the addition to the.

P

Internet, a million dollars.

P

When you talk about how.

P

Students and programs field trips, extracurricular activities that parents have to pay for now.

P

Much harder than it does now. These instructions I, as briefly as I, can he's like an instructional coaches, have our guests no direct line, you're, basically a very good teacher who have decided they don't want to be in the class and they are supposed to be coaching teachers to become become teachers. However, in the 20 years that this has been in effect in this day that at least 10 years in Burlington or 15 years in Burlington, he has no direct evidence whatsoever.

P

That shows any kind of correlation between instructional co-coaches in any District.

P

Support this budget and people are going to call me a micro. You want to be one, but I'm talking about a million dollars is going to be better spam. I would ask the brothers to approve the budget, but first look at this particular budget item. Look at what we're spending on these non instructional positions and I. Wouldn't ask the superintendent and the board to review this again and either cut the bottom line by a million dollars or redirect those funds to direct student services, which is where I believe they should be.

B

Great thanks, Steven.

P

P

Again, I have 50 years of experience in the classroom in the high school class.

B

Thank you I'm afraid we're at time for this agenda item. So thank you both very much for your presentation and we'll.

D

Look forward to it because they can contact us directly, yeah and and look on the district website to find more information about the budget.

B

Yeah great thank um great we're at our last agenda item, which is updates from our state reps and state senators that are able to attend tonight, they're all very busy with the start of the session. But thank you for taking the time to join us. So we have representative, mulzini stanik on Zoom I see! Do we have anyone else, Sam, okay, great well, we'll get started with Mulvaney Stanek! Thank you for joining us.

V

uh But any questions we're in our Sunday again so far.

B

Great, thank you yeah any questions in the room or on Zoom.

B

Go ahead, Charlie.

M

um So again, Charlie G, so my only question is uh which you might find silly, but is anyone in the legislature working on raising the debt limit? What what happens to the state of Vermont if the debt limit for the national budget is not increased in July or August or September? So is there anybody in the legislature that has some kind of a contingency plan, because that could be literally the most impactful economic situation in the history of the country? Thank you.

V

And get back to you, what I will say is I believe, there's some limitations on what we can do with our own state in terms of um uh taking on debt on I. Don't know to counter that, but I can research that a little bit Charlie and get back to you, um but I think there's also pieces that we can be creative about with our own resources in the state.

V

We have the state treasurer in in my committee this morning and we were talking a little bit about the money that the state treasury has and what we can do, and some of the local kind of incentive or local investment incentives that is already established under the state treasurer's office. But um but what you're talking about is way bigger of a scale. So I'll have to just do some some research and get back to you on that. One. Okay,.

M

You don't necessarily have to get back to me, I'm just saying that I.

V

M

If that debt limit doesn't get raised, that low-income people in this state are going to be in a lot of trouble, yeah.

W

V

M

That somebody in in this at the state level, is working on some kind of a contingency plan for if something happens, yeah.

V

Well, I mean we'll definitely keep an eye on it, as you probably know like for the state of Vermont, we have um more generous calculations based on federal. You know these Federal programs, so we would have to come up with contingency plans, of course, to figure out. You know other ways to fund those programs. I think it's it's twofold right. It's the funding of those programs and then it's um the ripple effect that that would have uh on States. So, yes, I, agree. Charlie. Thank.

B

You Christy for Aaron I, see you have your hand up.

S

Hey Emma, so I was hoping to talk about um it's kind of a funding issue uh when it comes to the new high school and high school bond that we just approved for 165 uh million this past week, the school district um was at Council and they talked about how Rising interest rates are impacting the future total cost of the development over at uh it's two Road uh as such they're entertaining the con.

S

The idea of switching from um a 20-year repayment plan to a 30 which I'll be dead before that building's paid off um so I'm kind of curious. The tech center is a regional issue uh because it helps out many people throughout Chittenden County, uh our members of your caucus, um both in the house and the Senate really trying to push uh funding.

S

So that way we can alleviate those costs because anything that we can get from everything we can get from the state to defer the cost of this high school and tech center will help try to keep our rents and our housing in check everything. If it skyrockets the rents are going to be, nobody will be able to live here really. You know so I'm just wondering have you had any progress or talks about really pushing for as much as possible for this school.

V

Really good question Christopher um and sorry about that. I was just going on mute because the baby monitor is still turned on in this room so um and I just sent my staffer my other child to go. Make them be a little quieter. So thank you for your patience again normalize having children and doing this job um so a couple of things because, as you as you I, think, we've talked about before, and we've certainly talked about um as we try to piece together.

V

The funding for Burlington, High, School and Burlington Technical Center um is the fact that the state used to have school construction, um partnership funding basically and that's been on hold for over 10 years, and that first of all would not only help Burlington, but it would help every single school and every single Community, because we've now asked them those schools, all schools in the state to screen for pcbs and other toxins in their schools.

V

So this is going to be an ongoing issue, as schools start to you know, the flag starts to raise for toxicities and other buildings. So it's long overdue. I know there was a bill in last biennium I'm, confident there'll, be at one and again this this session. um To really call that question. It's too much of a burden on any Community. The second piece that I'm going to just raise because we're starting to talk about this in my committee is around technical centers.

V

I, actually just came tonight from a listening session at I, believe it's one of BTT BTC site on Cherry Street to really do a study on how we're funding well our technical centers in general, and the kind of the both the program level.

V

What we offer students accessibility, all of that the actual program itself, but funding it as well, because the funding mechanism there also is um something we need to look at for making sure we're making the most of those programs, but also looking at the um the complexities of of how we, how we fund Regional, Technical centers but they're, sending schools Etc.

V

So there's I think there's a better solution there, but but really to your point, around affordability and making sure that um that you know how we put the pieces together and make sure the state's a partner, I completely agree and we're going to continue to look for ways. We can really leverage that as the Burlington delegation and that's not even my caucus, all I'm, pretty confident I can speak for all 11 State Reps for Berlin LinkedIn that we.

V

This is right on our our radar and we're going to continue to look for ways that we can leverage more resources.

S

Thank you so much Emma, you know appreciate it. Yep.

B

Thanks great, thank you. We are at time, but if there's another burning question I'll make time for it.

D

Same thing, but instead of funding tech center, what about PCB cleanup.

V

Yeah, so there is an initial fund, um and don't quote me on the genie? Don't ask me about the amount is so at the end of my day.

V

It's it's not enough is what I will tell you the amount of money that we established so far, um and you know that money generally has been about um making sure that uh testing can be um taking place and so sort of like we had a little bit of a briefing on this in December and I'm happy to share that recording to folks the um Secretary of the anr came to give that part of the briefing to legislators.

V

So it's not enough, though, and I think we've just started the first wave of testing in schools, and so we need to be looking for those resources as well and we're on the cusp of um starting to run out of federal resources and allocation of federal resources that have been coming from in the last couple years. So Vermont's going to be in this tricky place of trying to really look at what are our priorities? Where do we need to be moving resources? And you know School, construction and safe schools are?

V

Are should be really high on the list and we have to think I think we have to really be thinking creatively around um where the, where we're going to find revenue for that, because if the, if the federal the one-time money from the federal government um is, is tricky to work with, because it's not there forever and and yet we have a ongoing long list of infrastructure needs in our schools. So we need to find more I'm like looking at myself.

V

So hopefully you need that, like you're, nodding or and I, don't know what your reaction is, but hopefully that that made sense.

B

Genie says, thank you, awesome, uh I! Think we'll call it a meeting at that. Thank you very much for making time and joining us um and thank you. Everyone for sticking to The Bitter End, it's great to see everyone. uh If you have a second to help us clean up we're going to be putting the chairs away, so um we always appreciate a helping hand but nice to see everyone.