 Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for coming. I am especially thankful to the broad and diverse group of Burlington community leaders Who are here today and who've come together to share their concerns about the proposed charter change before that is before voters for this town meeting day I want to start by saying this Burlingtonians rightly expect our police officers to be held to high standards This has been a core value of our community for a long time and it's very much a value on the minds of Burlingtonians today We've done much in recent years to ensure That we live up to that value and chief Murad and I the city council and the police commission have all committed to more of This hard and important work and months ahead to get this key aspect of our policing policies, right? This proposed charter change however does not get community oversight, right? The oversight structure detailed in the charter change has little to no precedent in the country It lacks basic protections to ensure the fairness. We must offer our officers to succeed at rebuilding the department and It will be needlessly and wastefully expensive draining limited resources from other social reform and public safety priorities There's lots more to say about each of those three points and we have created a memo to the city council that details with citations why What why I believe each of those those three points The final point I want to make Before hearing from a number of other partners and we're not gonna we're not gonna make you hear from everybody We are gonna hear from quite a few of the folks up here The other point I want to make is this the language before the voters is not a place to start the conversation Rather, it is binding If this language is passed by voters in March There will be no further opportunity at the local level to work on the charter change language and will advance straight to the Legislature and the governor for approval that specific language includes some Important things for Burlingtonians to be aware of it It includes creating a new control board for police oversight that would be an entirely independent department of the city That independent department would be empowered to hire staff to investigate any incident to choose It's what it wants to have jurisdiction over and to discipline BPD staff Without input from the chief or any opportunity within the city system for appeal The board will set its own budget and it's unclear what if any oversight over that budget the city council and the mayor would have Board members cannot include Anyone who has ever served in a law enforcement agency, but they do not have to live in Burlington Unlike every other commission and board that we have here in Burlington the control board members Would be appointed by a committee created by independent nonprofits Not by elected official officials that are accountable to the voters And that is just a sampling of the many concerning details of this binding proposal So now I'd like see Welcome to the podium one of our key public safety partners one of our key partners in ensuring that Burlingtonians have The proper mental health services here in Burlington one of our key treatment provider partners the Howard Center and Matthew McNeil Thank you. I'm Matthew McNer from the Howard Center As an organization we deeply appreciate that the decision on the proposed partner charter change is now in the hands of the voters I'm we encourage everyone to educate and inform themselves on both sides of the issue After our own thorough review, we do not believe that the proposed charter change is in the best interest of our city Nor the people who live here work here or visit here. Thank you. Thank you, Matthew Next I'd like to welcome another key city partner dr. Stephen Leffler of the University of Vermont Medical Center Thank you, Miro Do you via medical center strong agrees with the sentiment of Burlington residents and many in this country that police reform accountability and transparency are the utmost importance Especially as it pertains to institutional and systemic inequities This is especially true right now while we're still reeling from the murder of Tyree Nichols While the medical center in the hospital is not experts in law enforcement reform We are experts in what has been happening in our emergency department We have seen a significant significant increase in violence against the staff in our ed over the past 24 months Our staff have sustained head injuries lacerations Broken bones and in several cases facial injuries so severe. They required surgery Across our state their health care workers who've left their careers Or been permanently disabled as well to the increase in violence. We are seeing in our departments and hospitals I'm an emergency physician by training over my career. I've seen a huge increase in violence in our department And a decrease in Burlington police's ability to respond in a timely fashion We must be able to rely on our law enforcement partners to keep our staff and patients safe While we completely support accountability and transparency The proposed charter changes cause us grave concern for the safety of our staff and our patients We cannot support a charter change that would have the potential of further diminishing the Burlington police department's ability to respond to violence in our emergency department or hospital I greatly fear this measure would put our staff at further risk Because of this we ask voters of Burlington to vote no on this measure. Thank you Thank you. Dr. Loeffler We Yeah Next I don't think he's made it here yet. I know Damian Gilbert from AFSCME is attempting to get here. He had a personal conflict as well and Maybe may still be able to join us before this is done Next up. I'd like to Welcome Kathy Davis from the Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce Kathy. Thank you. Kathy Davis with the Lake Champlain Chamber So rarely is there a day when I don't speak to somebody about public safety I hear from business owners. I hear from employees downtown I hear from visitors who are choosing Burlington. I hear from members of our nonprofit and social services community and I hear from other residents outside of Burlington that love the city as much as the rest of us We know that Improving our public safety is multifaceted, but we also know that retaining the officers We have in hiring more officers is a part of those solutions And knowing that that's part of our goals We need to avoid additional obstacles to the retention and hiring of good officers in Burlington as a result We are asking voters to vote no on question seven on the March ballot for that reason because we think it's a risky experiment And that it will serve as an impediment to high earning and retaining those who serve our community Another important part of our conversation in our mind on public safety is about building trust and We know that trust is earned and the trust goes both ways And we think that excluding anyone with law enforcement experience from this board Doesn't build the trust we need it actually breaks it Over the past couple of years our business community has proved itself to be more resilient than any of us could have imagined And we need your help now though to ensure that Burlington Remains safe for all who live here who work here and want to visit here And we do ask that residents of Burlington vote no on questions. I've been in on the March ballot. Thank you Thank you Kathy now. We'd also like to hear from Kelly Devine the executive director of the Burlington Business Association Kelly Thank you mayor Everything Kathy said plus this Our city's ability to deliver public safety safety services is a concern for everyone residents businesses people who come to work here Our community also is very concerned and I think committed to Advancing our ability to become a more equitable and just place for everyone who wants to be here the reality today is that People who work downtown and visit downtown do report being Challenged with public safety issues when visiting here or working here staff at our restaurants and stores They're being harassed. They're being threat threatened and assaulted on a weekly basis We are losing businesses like L. O. Bean who are leaving town for a variety of reasons But they always cite public safety as one of them We need to focus on rebuilding the Burlington Police Department not tearing it down We need to give more reasons for folks to come and work at the Burlington Police Department Not more reasons for them to leave We're at a critical juncture This ballot question puts our city's public safety services at great risk It is yet another risky experiment on Burlington's critical public safety services If it were to pass I think the impacts on our residents on our downtown community On the businesses who come here and the people who love this place could be immense We are absolutely supporting a no vote on question seven. Thank you so I Want to also note and thank Kyle Blake from the Burlington firefighters Association for being here It's being part of this coalition. We have a number of Past and present city counselors. We're going to hear from one of them in a moment Ben Travers and We in addition to the leaders of the business associations. I want to thank Mark who is currently the chair Mark We shared the chair of the church the marketplace currently and long time retailer on church Street for being here as well and Becky, thank you for your long commitment to the downtown and being here as well With that Ben Thank You mayor Ben Travers Ward 5 City Councilor want to echo recognition of past city counselors as well as current counselors Sarah Carpenter and Maya Brant for being here today and Agree with all the comments you've heard thus far I think the group you see here today is just a small part of a broad diverse coalition of Burlingtonians Who've expressed great concerns about the selection criteria for this board its accountability to voters the breadth of the authority It would be given the extent to which it takes away the chief's existing disciplinary authority the cost of this department and so on It is an untested Unprecedented experiment I think is the right word a couple years ago the city council Experimented by cutting the cap of officers in the Burlington Police Department. We cannot afford to experiment again with public safety I'd like to just talk a moment though about process and public engagement Burlington is a community where folks want to be heard and they want their elected officials to be responsive to that feedback I Appreciate the efforts of the folks who put this petition drive together It's not an easy feat to secure that many signatures The way this ballot measure has come forward However, does not allow for the kind of public engagement our Burlington community is used to Charter changes almost always go through a careful Deliberative process before the city council where with the course of multiple public meetings We work together to come up with a measure that hopefully has broad community support It is important for voters to understand that because this measure is coming forward by petition State law precludes the city council from making any amendments responsive to the kind of feedback and concerns you're hearing today This is not how we should be legislating and Regardless of how you feel about the content of the proposal I think the lack of public process and community engagement on this is reason enough for people to vote no on question seven I Do want to acknowledge though the city's Mission towards equity. I think we should note that today is the second day of black history month We owe it to our community to continue a discussion on police oversight and accountability A no vote is not a vote against oversight and accountability A no vote is against the experimental measure that has been forced before voters We will be introducing a resolution before the city council Asking the community to vote against this resolution But also opening an opportunity For us to continue to hear from the feedback from the community For us to continue to listen to the public And for the ordinance committee and charter change committee to act over the coming months to see if we can come to a proposal on Accountability and oversight that has the more broad support of the folks here and the rest of our community. Thank you, ma'am Thank you Ben Thank you Ben We have been joined by damien gilbert damien. We're we're glad to be able to make it and Putting measures How y'all doing today? My name is damien gilbert. I'm the president of local 1343 For AFSCME for all municipal workers in the school department I have some really major concerns on the committee that the uh progressive party is bringing forward On due process. I believe that every worker that is part of a union Has the ability to have fair due process and go to arbitration. I don't think it's wise to support This agenda for this committee based on the fact that the individuals and even the officers alone That are part of a union already have a disciplinary action process The city already has a progressive Comprehensive policy that's in place For disciplinary steps that they can easily go beyond those other than a verbal reprimand Their cba, which is pretty current probably to ours has the same disciplinary action too And it can be progressive and you can jump the steps on that as well I've read the Agenda that's been put forth for this committee and even to be the mayor himself or the city council Let alone directors. They have to be a city resident In order to be on that council any part of any other committees in this Agenda that they have there does not it has a three and a four-year term Where anybody can be appointed to it that may not have a background in human resources That would warrant any kind of disciplinary action let alone termination I am not in support for the municipality workers for AFSCME Only because of this could have a trickle effect and it could affect every union based on the language of what they have instilled for the Against the to supersede the any contract that the city has already agreed to Um, I will not be in support and I will talk to my members and make sure that they know as well Not to be important in support of ballot seven So, um, I really thank you for your time and I think every voter should really take the time to read What they put together and um, I think it's egregious And I'm here to support the other union workers to make sure that um, this doesn't go forward Thank you for your time. Thank you. Mr. Mayor. I appreciate it. Thank you Okay, um with that, I think that's uh, those are prepared remarks. You'd be happy to answer some questions if there are any Go once twice The chief has already weighed in on this and the union has as well and um from my perspective It's important for other voices to be heard in this debate as well. So I Yeah, this is as simple as that Sure, Courtney. And you know, I do want to um Just going back to your first question. I certainly they're They're additional opportunities to to speak to the chief and Union directly. Um, I think it can sound Self-serving when it's coming from from the officers. That's feedback I've heard So I thought I thought it was important that we hear today from a really broad cross section of burlingtonians and Burlington organizations The If you look at the details of this proposal, it lacks the basic protections of fairness that um, we have in our current disciplinary systems here in burlington and that um in every uh that exists in every other Uh police oversight disciplinary board that we have been able to look at and study Those protections range every from everything from how the board is constituted to ensure that there is Relevant expertise within the board members that are adjudicating a disciplinary matter There are The the words due process the requirements that there be fairness and due process is is despite recommendations from the city attorney when this uh When this language was being created a couple years ago do not do not exist there There's no basic standard there um Another um example Is just that the lack of accountability that that this board has is unlike anything else In our in our system This is instead of being again appointed by the city council and the mayor as we do with all of our other boards The way this appointment process happens is that Individuals are put on this board first the selection first the council and the mayor choose a group of nonprofits That nonprofits then gets to create a an appointment committee. The appointment committee then creates This board there is then no recall Uh provision or ability to remove members for cause. It's it's a completely unaccountable uh unaccountable board so um I think it Disciplinary matters can be uh Depending great deal on the details. They can be controversial. They can be Tough judgment calls to make and there are no protections in place in the way this charter language is written to ensure That Fairness standards are met and that you know, that's the heart of of my concern We are in a position where we have lost more than 40 of our police department We have put millions of dollars into attempting to Rebuild that department. We put great energy and effort into that and We if we are going to be successful in that effort And there's some early signs of momentum of this rebuilding effort if we are going to be able it be successful We need to ensure fairness and I just don't think that this Uh, this charge change makes any attempt to ensure that despite Uh, despite that being raised repeatedly In in past years Yeah So first of all Yes, I chief mirad the administration the city council the existing police commission are are all committed to a strong system for ensuring Accountability for our police officers and I think it's important and not be lost in this conversation that many steps have been taken since 2016 to Uh and even before uh to improve to ensure that our officers are held to a high standard to ensure accountability to name Just a few of the major examples. We were one of the first departments in new england to require every officer to wear Body camera and we have continued to refine our body camera policies including in in recent weeks We now you've seen the first of the examples of how we are We have we have added resources to be able to release body camera footage Very quickly after use of force incidents We have dramatically Expanded the the roles of the police commission to we've codified that all use of force incidents and all complaints will be reviewed by that That commission and they will have an opportunity to advise the chief before the chief renders a disciplinary decision I we are working under an executive order now that I issued in in late 2020 that um ensures that on use of force incidents use of force incidents of of significant public interest that I get to weigh in after hearing from the city attorney from the racial equity inclusion and belonging director from other key members of the administration I get to weigh in and make a recommendation to the chief I've long thought so those are just three examples of how that this system has changed recently Maybe the most important one. I haven't said yet. Let me just say is this we our officers today are bound by a new use of force policy written in 2020 that goes way beyond what the former policy did to require officers to attempt to de-escalate and Use only the force that is necessary to Deal with whatever incident they're facing that was such a strong and good policy It's become actually statewide policy in many ways now for the whole state of vermont. So many many steps have been taken In recent years. We're not done with that work. I would support going farther one thing I welcome about this vote is It has been very challenging to move forward with any possible charter change and I do think ultimately a charter change is Necessary to get the right balance that we want in this community It has been very challenging to advance that conversation with The this concept of the control board being out there gathering support From petitions. There has been there were several attempts that were made to advance a conversation about charter changes and with this hanging out there We weren't able to get anywhere with that conversation. It is true that there's also there was a Use of a a new ordinance for the police commission that would within our existing charter language Refine and detail The roles and responsibilities clear give them some additional formal authority It was actually Dan Richardson who drafted that ordinance there were Concerns that we have been unable to reach consensus on that And I do in some ways trace that back to this outstanding question about what the charter is going to say. So Um Following town meeting day if if this ballot item is rejected I think there will be a new it there'll be some clarity from that and there'll be a new ability For us to attempt to find a consensus on what further changes are needed Um At the same time I want to go back to the point I started We have already done a great deal to ensure high standards and officer accountability And I hope all brawlington voters are clear on that when they go to the ballot box I am opposed to That that charter changed as well. Uh my concern there um You know, maybe I don't feel quite as strongly because I don't think quite the same Uh The stakes are not quite as as high as they are with uh with The control board chart change where I really do feel that um our ability to Provide the public safety uh that brawlingtonians expect is is hanging in the balance on uh on on the outcome of this decision I really uh, so I have not put as much effort. You're not finding a memo from me on that today I do uh, I do I am concerned about that. I you know, I've been in this role for 11 years now We've had a number of instances where I would say usually when petitioners um Organize put in the energy to bring forward uh some kind of petition if there's a request for a ballot item That is something the city council and I take very seriously and the great majority of the time we will we will that we are we we um We'll act on that effort and and put the the item on the ballot. There have been a couple of instances where The timing the circumstances surrounding that particular issue Have meant that it it was either too late or problematic timing for for going going to the voters The couple examples of that I can give you are with city hall park We had spent a decade of work. We had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars We had gone through enormous amounts of public process Jane O'Dell and I spent much of the summer of 2018 sitting uh, I think was over at the police department Right. It was in the community room over there. Maybe it was in the Old conference room 11, but we went through tree by tree to determine which trees we remove which ones we would keep We had done an enormous amount of work. We had reached a political compromise that There was broad support for we are out to bid on trying to build renovate city hall park when the petitions came in saying Whole slow down wait. Let's wait until the voters get a chance to weigh in here I thought that was I thought it would be very problematic if the council didn't have the authority to do what they did Which is to say, you know, this this this is coming to us too late Uh, we've invested too much. We literally spent too much. We've invested too much energy and time It's time time to go forward and build and I appreciated very much the council took that action if prob zero passed They wouldn't be able to do that is my understanding of it. Um, I can give you other examples, but that that's what it comes down to You know, I I give you just one example. I mean it's it the the deficiencies That we normally see as I tried to detail before there there are many things that we typically see in required and disciplinary processes That are required that that are not here an example of that, you know, I think we think of an appeal right as a basic Due process, right? There's no provision for an appeal within the city system in In this In this language, uh, the only appeal possible is to go, you know, to to go to court to go to superior court There's even a similar provision and you know, something I heard, you know, I think Damian was I don't know, but merge your mouth by her. There's real discomfort on their synability of this board to suspend Individuals without pay for for two weeks with no opportunity to grieve to grieve that decision Just from my perspective in reviewing it and I do sit currently as the chair of the ordinance committee I think there's certain Central tenants to due process that you don't see in this measure Uh the board the proposed board has incredibly broad authority with respect to those Incidents of misconduct that they can take action on for example The board can take disciplinary action on any misconduct In an officer's private life without providing any guardrails around What is misconduct and what is the bar? Over which the board can take action Another important part to do process is that You will be heard by a neutral independent Arbiter when you go before a court you're heard before an independent neutral judge Here we have an unelected board Selected by selection criteria that we don't see for any other Board or commission in the city And as the mayor pointed out The appeal right is to the superior court There is uh no longer the kind of appellate mechanism that you see right now here So those are my concerns around due process, but I do think the concerns even go Well beyond the due process rights of folks here have laid out The breadth of the authority the selection criteria that goes into this the fact that the board unlike any other board commission The city is is not truly representative. I believe of our community. There are lots of concerns there as well Okay, um, thank you all for being here today. I thank you again to the many partners here today and We look forward to talking more with you about this and uh other Other town meeting day items over the next over the coming weeks. Thank you