April 2025 Digest
April 7, 2025 Meeting Highlights
Organization Day
Councilors and their Committees:
Ward 1 Progressive City Councilor Carter Neubieser sits on both the Board of Finance and the Community Development & Neighborhood Revitalization Committees, as well as chairing the Parks, Arts and Culture Committee. You are able to reach out here: cneubieser@burlingtonvt.gov
Ward 2 Progressive City Councilor Gene Bergman sits on the Transportation, Energy and Utilities and Charter Change Committees, and also chairs the Ordinance Committee. You are able to reach out here: gbergman@burlingtonvt.gov
Ward 3 Progressive City Councilor Joe Kane sits on the Parks, Arts, and Culture Committee, and chairs the Tax Abatement Committee. You are able to reach out here: jkane@burlingtonvt.gov
Ward 8 Progressive City Councilor Marek Broderick sits on the Human Resources and Transportation, Energy, and Utilities Committees, and also chairs the Licence Committee. You are able to reach out here: mbroderick@burlingtonvt.gov
Central District Progressive City Councilor Melo Grant sits on the Human Resources Committee, and chairs both the Public Safety and Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committees. You are able to reach out here: megrant@burlingtonvt.gov
April 14, 2025 Meeting Highlights
Mayor’s Updates:
Community Safety
Events:
Third Monthly Press Briefing on Wednesday April 16 with Chief Burke.
Community Safety Forum on May 8 at 5:30 re mental health and unsheltered population.
UVM student community safety forum on campus.
The City charter change to ban guns in bars has momentum in the statehouse.
Housing:
Met April 14 with the newly-formed Vermont Mayors’ Coalition composed of 8 municipalities. Collaborating on general assistance housing advocacy.
Memorial Block update: will include housing, hotel rooms and public space.
H. 91 focused on emergency housing policy, is in the Senate and would implement changes in 2027 but little focus on near-term.
Climate:
The Mayor’s Climate Advisors meet again this week, breaking down into sectors starting with nature-based solutions. Next up will be solid waste management.
Other Topics:
City staff-wide meeting recently about remediating graffiti, starting with city buildings.
Met with Trusted Community Voices (see: https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/206/Trusted-Community-Voices-TCV) and the Mayor encourages Counselors to connect with TCV too. Strong liaison to the refugee and immigrant community.
Great Streets Main Streets recent meeting about status of construction. Heard about impacts on downtown businesses and provided information about timeline and project being on track.
Orientation for City Councilors on May 16, to discuss budgets and finances.
7.14 Authorization to Issue Early Learning Initiative Capacity Grants to Robin’s Nest Children's Center: Authorization for a $30,000 grant to Robin’s Nest Children Center through the Early Learning Initiative (ELI) Capacity Grant program. This will expand access to high-quality childcare, especially for infants and toddlers, including staffing, space improvements, or enrollment expansion. This aligns with the caucus’s goals of supporting working families and improving early childhood infrastructure.
7.23 Resolution: Allocation of Bond Proceeds for Public Improvements: Allocation of funds designated for street paving and sidewalk upgrades, stormwater infrastructure projects, and city facility repairs and energy improvements.
7.25 McNeil RFPs: The Burlington Electric Department sought proposals (RFPs) for projects or services related to the McNeil Generating Station, a biomass-powered energy plant. The resolution, which was approved, supports soliciting vendors for maintenance, modernization, or emissions-related upgrades. This resolution emphasizes sustainability, reliability, and compliance with climate goals.
8.3 Ordinance: CDO-Performing Arts Centers: This is an mendment to the zoning ordinance to allow performing arts centers as a permitted or conditional use in the Enterprise-Light Manufacturing (E-LM) district. The goal is to support arts and culture development in underutilized industrial or commercial zones. This will promote a mixed-use urban fabric and reflects broader interest in enabling creative industries in flexible zoning areas.
8.4 Ordinance: Neighborhood Code: Approval to introduce a new housing development path within the Neighborhood Code, designed to facilitate small-scale, incremental residential infill. The item will includes relaxed setback or lot size requirements, and new building typologies like duplexes or accessory dwelling units (ADUs). It is designed to combat the housing shortage by enabling more density in residential zones while maintaining neighborhood character.
April 28, 2025 Meeting Highlights
7.20 Authorization to Accept Grant Funds for Leddy Park Roller Rink: Accept grant funds of $25,000 from the State of Vermont for a pop-up outdoor Leddy Park Roller Rink Project. This grant will fund the purchase of professional-grade hockey boards for a proposed pop-up roller rink at the Leddy Park parking lot while the city continues to pursue a more permanent rink for the growing sport. With increasing local interest in rollerskating, demonstrated by a 315-signature petition, Leddy Park was identified as a viable interim site.
7.21 BTVthanks: International Firefighter Appreciation Day Cookout: Authorizeation of use of $2,000 from the City Council Initiative Fund to celebrate and thank the City’s Fire Department on Sunday, May 4, 2025. This citywide event, called BTVthanks: Burlington Fire, aims to honor the dedication, innovation, and national recognition of the Burlington Fire Department, while providing an opportunity for public engagement, education, and recruitment.
8.1 Vacant Buildings Ordinance : This was a work session to discuss draft updates to the vacant buildings ordinance that include somewhat higher and escalating fees, intended to help incentivize redevelopment of blighted properties.
8.3 Draft Project Proposal for the Burlington Overdose Prevention Center Pilot Program: Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform sought approval, which was approved, to submit the Overdose Prevention Center project proposal to the Vermont Department of Health. This proposal contained background, a phased implementation plan including site selection process details, and considers compliance and evaluation criteria for measuring outcomes and ensuring transparency. This will require engaging neighborhoods, harm reduction organizations, medical providers, law enforcement, and other community groups to inform a neighborhood assessment, addressing potential site impacts, community concerns, and integration strategies.
8.4: Support the First Amendment Rights of Free Speech: This resolution, approved by the Council, reaffirms the City of Burlington's commitment to defending First Amendment rights, specifically the freedoms of speech, press, association, and dissent, while explicitly condemning the Trump administration’s actions as authoritarian and unconstitutional. The resolution expresses solidarity with Mohsen Mahdawi, Rumeysa Ozturk, and Mahmoud Khalil, who were targeted by federal authorities for their speech and activism in defense of Palestinians. The resolution outlines a series of abuses by the Trump administration, including actions against immigrants, students, and legal residents engaged in political protest and advocacy. The resolution recognizes these actions as part of a broader strategy to suppress dissent, silence marginalized voices, and erode democratic institutions. Ultimately, the resolution calls to defend those most vulnerable to political repression and to stand united in the defense of civil liberties.
8.5 Battery Street Scoping Study: This item, approved by the Council, approves the Battery Street Corridor scoping study as recommended by the study advisory committee. Key features include: protected bike infrastructure, traffic calming, and possible realignment of intersections and green stormwater infrastructure. This project supports long-range goals for the corridor to become safer, more multimodal, and better integrated into downtown and waterfront plans.
