 This slide really depicts the first arriving conditions based on of the first-do company and while you can't see it in the Lower right-hand corner is where engine three that the the vehicle that's parked up on Mansfield I have or station on Mansfield. I'd arrived and these were the conditions that they found and what's important to note here And it's hard to see it a little bit is on the bottom of the screen That is a construction fence that surrounded that entire property and then you'll also notice numerous genie lifts Around that building both of those things pull we'll talk about here in a few minutes that impacted this Impacted our operations, but if you look to the left of the building You're going to see some scaffolding and you're going to see another picture of that so they arrive at this fire and and they see They talk to the construction workers and the construction workers tell them the only access to that area That's burning you cannot access it from inside the building you have to go up that scaffolding That's on the left-hand side next slide, please So this is that left-hand side of the building and that this is would be the other side of the building where that Scaffling is on the left-hand side On in this photo. There are three firefighters one way to your right and then one with a hose line That is the initial crew of engine three. They with the help of construction workers hoisted the that hose line up the Up that scaffolding to get it in place On that side of the building that center archway is where the fire started the construction workers were working in that area so and the firefighter to the left is Actually in the room tonight. He assisted in stretch He was actually a member of the ambulance crew the second to arrive He helped to hoist that hose up to the up to that location His partner took over the pump panel of engine three because engine three is staffed with two people They dead man. It's called dead man the pump. So they went straight to work Left the pump deployed the hose line up to that position in the radio traffic You can hear back and I'm calling the battalion chief saying I need somebody to charge that line and the battalion chief Assigned the rescue company the ambulance crew One to go up there and help in the second one to run the pump panel on engine three Next slide, please So while they're up on the this other what you would say the left-hand side of this building This is about the time that the chief clett and I arrived the fire was was really starting to consume the building materials on this on that facade and what you're seeing here now is active free burning and The decision was quickly made that we needed to put big water on this and this is where we went with what we call master streams Very quickly to try to knock down and slow the growth of that fire If if I made this fire it looks dramatic, but it really is a surface burn here with a Palmer based Sealant that they had put on the roof. So that's what you're seeing here That's why you're seeing all the the black dark dense smoke Although the fire had progressed on the inside Essentially in the attic of the building at the time So not only do we have a lot of drama and a lot of fire on the outside We had fire in hidden void spaces and concealed spaces inside the building and what you know into the deputy's point We have people trying to make their way to the third floor of this building from the inside and in the report That we're getting on the outside doesn't match the conditions The report we're getting about conditions on the inside is way different than the conditions we're reporting on the outside And that's starting to confuse us we're having we're having questioning that and you'll see here at us next slide But the construction of that building really helped us at the end of the day So this this just really depicts what we want to talk about here is how this the labor intensive this fire was so there's While there's three aerial units that you can see there in the photo Mallets Bay Aerial truck is actually on the backside of that building and ultimately we would bring in when new skis to be on the left Hand photo so a total of five aerial apparatus in operation at one time The deputy just told me in his 25 year career here 24 year career He's never been out of fire with that many aerial devices working at one time next slide, please This is the confusing photo, but I want you to understand that this was the third This is what we found on the third floor, and that was a picture literally Immediately after the fire was knocked down So those are the large cabinets that stored the collection and while normally we would have accessed that void area from the Inside we would cut holes in bane well to access that void area those cabinets were not moving and Ultimately right on the backside of those cabinets was where this void area was that really required us to do Open it up from what the outside on aerial ladders. We just could never get past those cabinets So while the construction helped us at one point It also, you know made it impossible for us to do work as we often would do it to access the fire next slide please and This is just a list of assisting agencies that helped us out that day I think the one you know the one thing the fire service does really well in Chittenden County and much of the country is we share Resources and help one another out and so we had a lot of help that day And I think it's also important to To note that UVM rescue put a second truck in service the second ambulance in service to Handle city calls that day for us and I think in addition to staffing metal for medical protection for our members up there And I think they handle three or four other medical transports in the three or four hours before we could step get one of our units Freed back up to be in service next slide please so the outcome the building the You know the the dollar loss in terms of the rehab cost or about 2.8 million is what risk management told me this week We set the estimate from the fire loss about six hundred thousand obviously you know because of the damage They were they opted to do some pretty Substantial remodel of that building. We had to we had two firefighters suffer minor injuries and the cause again was workers Hot work by them soldering copper roofing next slide We did was tough to read. I know it's tough to read this here. You certainly have in your packet This was just some Facebook posts. We had got from people around the country thanking You know certainly thanking us for their for saving what would they would say would be a irreplaceable collection next slide please and So really this is the why we're here tonight to talk about the challenges or lessons learned and in these really come down to just a few things Anytime there's a building under construction or renovation Proposes a tremendous risk to our firefighters and it because it's not designed or it's not the fire protection features Aren't in place that they would be otherwise so any building under construction. We we take as a as a high risk Lack of suppression system this building is probably one of the very very few buildings on campus that does not have a suppression system and While the the fire was contained to void spaces on the outside and never penetrated into where it would have Anytime we have a we feel much better with buildings that have built-in sprinkler systems Access to the building construction fencing all around that building or acquired Thank goodness. We had construction workers help us tearing down Security fencing so that we could get aerial units in place now one thing about aerial units They have a limited reach and if we can't get the truck in close enough They do us very little value So there was there was some pretty creative work to get aerial units in close enough that we could get the reach In fact, we special called an aerial unit that had a mid-mount versus a rear mount so that we could get it into a place That we otherwise we had not been able to Handline deployment and crew size so our initial arriving company to has to personnel on it Deploying a hose line to that in that type of in that fashion up The scaffolding that's a crisscross back and forth. There's numerous pinch points It takes a lot of people to move a hose line up that type of environment. That is not something that is a Daily occurrence and certainly was a tremendous challenge but the line was deployed very quickly and and we're lucky that we have a very well-trained crew Access to fire and void spaces. So again, that was it's called a mansard roof There's really a continual void space around that entire building That's what that space is between the inside of the building and the outside and that's where that fire traveled and Then finally if you remember that morning, it was extremely humid. So it was by midday It was really hot but when when the it was hot and humid. So when you take a normal Add on a firefighter then add on all the gear he or she is wearing. It's another hundred pounds the thermal protection So our staff had a lot of It was difficult for our staff to work after one or two Spins through without have being rehab. So a lot of water but again the heat and humidity played a pretty substantial problem for us and and with that I tried to be quick I'll certainly any questions, but again, this was Very impressive fire from the visuals. It was it was something we trained for and I think our members performed very well Thank you very much chief and deputy chief Colette Can you speak a little bit more about the dispatch? How the because we were talking about moving to a different dispatch system. Sure. So You know again, initially this this fire comes in as a radio max master box alarm so over 400 buildings in our community are protected by a Fire alarm system that automatically reports into our dispatch center, which if we go to regional dispatch It would be every intention at that same would ring in the same way So that the box rings in we call it a box it rings in the dispatcher sent transmits the alarm for that building It was followed up by a 901 call But the but before that occurred our officer had already Wrecked on the smoke our officer sitting on the truck and upgraded the alarm so the dispatcher just knows okay I'm gonna do the neck. I'm gonna call the next resource. They pull out Well, we have a matrix So when a request is made to upgrade the alarm the dispatcher can open up a sheet and say okay This is who I call next Thanks to your support in the mayor support in about six months or less That'll all be computer automated and depending on where we are in the city will automatically By computer tell them that so so and then beyond that the dispatcher did an excellent job calling resources I think as we talked about during regional dispatch But she but she had to make numerous calls to different centers for Different pieces of apparatus not only foot to the scene, but we had to backfill each week backfill three of our stations to handle Additional calls and I think a kind of part that we found somewhat Interesting was s6 came in and provided coverage downtown And I think they had the opportunity to run quite a few calls that day for us And they were they were surprised at the narrow streets and how more urban Response Burlington is an Essex so the system ultimately works very well. That's great. Thank you Other counselors with any questions counselor Dean and then Bush are please use your mic counselor Dean Thank you President Odell chief I'm aware that in my experience that There are very specific requirements for hot work from the University of Vermont Can you tell us whether those were in place on that day and how they affected your response? They were they had they actually had pulled a permit. They were they had fire suppression Equipment up there with them. They followed the rules exactly like they were supposed to this was an old building and An ember got behind the behind the copper They actually thought they had it out and so but they yes, they follow the conditions of the work permit very well Yes, and and then one follow-on question about I know that they were I believe they were insulating the exterior of the building That roof was the the insulation system used a contributor to the the severity of the fire. I Don't believe that it was insulation. I believe it was ice and water shield ice and water shield Thank you counselor counselor butcher You mentioned that there are Fire people here who were Involved and could you just ask them to stand up so I can just Acknowledge are they on fire station three? So I just wanted to say thank you so very much We're so lucky. I'm sorry go ahead and while they're too proud to stand the other two members because they they They weren't actually there. They they do great work every other day, too so, you know, I Guess when I'm listening to you. I wondered In one sense we were lucky that there were Able-bodied people who could help with lifting that hose up I can't appreciate how you were describing how you had to go up that Scaffolding with the hose, but if those construction people hadn't been there Is there a lesson that is there something is there a takeaway for our community? Regarding that I mean with just two individuals with that hose and the height of that building It would it have yielded a different outcome. I Don't think on this particular fire That would have yielded a different outcome. Okay. It does make a difference though every other day. So and I you know I think ultimately Our job is labor intensive and any time we can have an additional person or persons there without a doubt it makes a difference but in terms of The speed to deploy that hose line most likely making a significant outcome Change in the outcome probably not but again every other day on almost every other call. It makes a difference Okay, well, you know, I I love I mean, this is Ward 1's fire station. I love the fire station It's old, but I know it it also limits the size of the fire engine that you can have there also and so I'm what I was trying to figure out was with a Fire engine that size and the structures around it being now of more significant height Is that something we have to consider as a community? I Think anytime you have an old not and then you have old fire stations size Comes into play, you know, so we were just we've just ordered a new aerial truck for the downtown station and a limiting factor is certainly the Size of the doors and anytime so I think ultimately yes old fire stations have their Challenges, although station three is a beautiful fire station Okay. All right. Thank you very much. Thank you counselor more So your mention of the Essex fire department Made me wonder if if this experience Kind of if you had any reflective thoughts on the potential for regional dispatch In in terms of This what what you experienced here? I think you know, I'm a huge proponent of regional dispatch I've got that feeling and You know, I struggle to see any sense Where regional dispatch would not be it's a better thing You know may allow us to be more efficient and be able to use and move resources around the county As you need them I I struggle to ever see a downside to regional dispatching. It's a system I come from I know it it works. I I It's gonna be I think it's gonna be a good thing Okay, I was just wondering if there had been any conversations from anyone that you would have heard Just in thinking about this. Okay. Thank you. Thank you counselor and the other counselor Counselor Jang and then I think I have two questions and the first one is if we move to a regional dispatch System do you think it will still be necessary to keep your? Department budget as well as the number of your employees intact My opinion one has nothing to do with the other So regional dispatch moves our units I would say that your fire department and our fire department is needs or resources that they have and And obviously we want to make sure that we have the ability to deliver their right number of firefighters to your home and so I would see no reduction in and staffing or The budget as as it results to regionalization for the fire department Thank you, and my the other question is You know what the fire that occur in? UVM basically you have a fire station number three Yep, number three right on the door and I wanted to know exactly would have Your firefighters handle The issue alone without the help of sx or Colchester would have be a would they be able to just handle it by themselves Also, I know Why because of the additional responses that occurred after all units were committed on the location And was it maybe faster to receive like all the fire station number one or number four or number two? Faster to get to the where the issues occur than to wait for sx to come all the way So you get understood every one of Burlington's resources were on scene Probably within four or five minutes from the time of call So when we say we're calling in other resources sx backfill what we call back filled our stations and so all 20 of your on-duty firefighters plus another 40 or 30 or 40 off-duty firefighters returned and Some of those off-duty firefighters Arrived before even South Burlington, which is a staff fire station, which is obviously our first in mutual aid units So we're see you're seeing 25 to 30 Members on scene before you ever see another Resource from another community But ultimately these things are labor intensive and and require a lot of people But big fires like that don't occur every day. It's the little it's Ultimately, I think this afternoon between four and five o'clock if they didn't do seven calls in that hour They didn't do one and so it's it's not for us our standpoint It's the it's the everyday grind that's that's that wears on our resources Thank You chief Counselor Moore had one more question and then you're good. Okay, any other counselor mayor. Did you know I think you president Oh, just quickly one. I want to thank you for suggesting this presentation I think it really was a great opportunity for the public and the council to see really not some more detail on this very impressive response from the department I Happen to be just nearby when the fire took place and got to see it in person even More impressive to see some of the detail they showed today's chief. Thank you for doing this And thank you again to the crew for and everyone involved in what you know Could have been a very different day and making sure It was a very positive outcome for the community. So thank you. Thank you mayor Thank you chief deputy chief fire officers for being here tonight and for all your great work Have a good evening at this time. I'd like to open the public forum we can Set the clock for three minutes and we'll start with James Lockridge and He will be followed by Steve Marshall Here to encourage you to support the resolution that will place an advisory question on the March 6th ballot To generate revenue for the Housing Trust Fund It's a simple initiative that will alleviate pressures that are making Burlington too expensive to live in and it'll contribute to making Sure that all the people who call Burlington home will have a better chance of continuing to call it home in the future I Also want to encourage you to learn more about the hurt and the harm That everybody loves a parade mural has caused our citizens of color and others who are marginalized It was created without a transparent inclusive process That would have helped it be a genuine reflection of our diverse community in its history And it should be removed to help reverse its harm And a new mural should be created with a process that unites our community behind it rather than divides us painfully Next week counselor Jing will introduce a resolution that compassionately addresses this and I thank you for being prepared to support it Thank you. Thank you Steve Marshall And then Abby Tchaikovsky the city has a very interesting opportunity to take responsibility for the public health when tonight we consider the proposals from the ordinance committee to Modify in fact liberalize our ordinance on public waste elimination The difficulty with that ordinance as I Read it is that it doesn't place full responsibility for the public health on the city I've asked counsel Tracy to propose an amendment to that ordinance and While we're still in discussion we discovered that The city council has decided to decide this ordinance tonight Which is a really big disappointment to me because I was told that we were going to be able to continue discussing it That's all parenthetical the important thing is that the ordinance proposal The intention is to Hold the city responsible to bring the city into a sense of responsibility to itself and to the community for planning for Places facilities in the words of the ordinance where people can eliminate waste The idea that there are places in the city that you can go and you can't find a facility You are forced to eliminate Illegally in public is Very very problematic to everyone who lives here everyone who travels here who visits here who's away from home from inside the city and so I would ask you to please support the proposed amendment and Give us a chance to go back to the ordinance committee to finish the work of Putting the proper nuances into this Into this change so that it can be Really an effective change The main thing that I want to ask for Is that when a police officer gives a ticket the police officer writes down? Where the infraction occurred and where the nearest bathroom was? that's not included in the present of proposed amendment and Were it to be included? information would be coming back to the city about where the need is greatest and It can only help the planning process and that's all this is about is Stimulating a planning process so I would ask you to support it. Thank you Thank you. Abby Ticocchi Followed by Patrick Johnson My comment is just in regards to the resolution relating to the process for defining and deciding among the Cities carried interest options for Burlington telecom that in any discussion you have in deliberative session regarding this if President Odell and Councillor Paul could provide additional context around line 21 where it says The city has potentially one year from the closing of the sale transaction to enter into The membership interest purchase agreement. Thanks. Thank you Patrick Johnson to be followed by Margaret Bozik Good evening This evening. I'd like to urge the city council and the residents of Burlington to vote against Proposition to impose 1% tax on houses over five hundred thousand dollars while seeming noble This is an unnecessary tax directed at individuals rather than multi-unit profit-driven landlords as property values have increased even starter homes can be priced close to $500,000 Meanwhile an individual can purchase a rental income property for several hundred thousand dollars and pay 12% Even less after deduction in taxes and what is considered investment income one of the main causes for high Property values is a robust rental market this Proposition does nothing to address the robust market by driving it down one of the main An individual has to pay five hundred thousand dollars for house and then has to account for an additional fee and their monthly budgeting Whereas a landlord pays five hundred thousand dollars for a unit and passes it on to his or her tenants therefore increasing rents It would be in my opinion wiser to tax an individual landlord who owns more than five in units non-owner occupied units And or has no residence in Burlington this would incentivize smaller landlords to keep lower Rents and to slow down the domino effect of rolling equity of units into purchasing larger and more Units. Thank you. Thank you Margaret Bozik followed by Jimmy Lee's Hi, my name is Margaret Bozik and I'm the director of asset management for the Champlain Housing Trust I'm speaking tonight as the co-chair of the Chittenden County homeless alliance About the resolution supporting the Burlington homeless community. I had a couple of questions I was going to pose about paragraphs two and six of the resolution But council roof was able to answer those questions for me today and about how those particular Paragraphs fit with the work of the alliance I'm so I just want to say thank you to the public safety committee for its work and To bring the council up to date about some of the work recent work of the homeless alliance Earlier this month. We adopted new coordinated entry policies and procedures and what that means Is that people who are experiencing homelessness are going to have much more streamlined access to resources and the community is going to have much better data About who's experiencing homelessness We already had in place a common HIPAA compliant release and a data-sharing agreement subject of course to consumer consent But we will now have an expanded by-name list of everyone in the community who's experiencing homelessness Agencies across the board have agreed to common assessments for vulnerability and housing barriers With specialized assessments for single adults families victims of domestic violence and youth We Thus the scores that result from those assessments will be used to direct Consumers to the most appropriate resources so permanent supportive housing for people who are most vulnerable Rapid rehousing for people who only need temporary assistance and for that great bulk of people who fall in the middle More streamlined access to section 8 resources in apartments The by-name list will be reviewed on a monthly basis to see how many people are coming onto the list How many people are going off of the list? How many people are being housed who's not being housed and why not? And it's going to provide a much more rich picture than the annual point time counts Which do give us a sense of trends, but are really only a snapshot So thank you again to the committee for its work. Thank you for being here tonight Jimmy Lee's followed by Julie Starts with an M. Sorry Donald Trump says he has the biggest nuclear button and he's already directed flights of the F-35 Which he describes as his most Touted weapon. It's the weapon he he likes the best as part of his nuclear threat against North Korea It was a flight along the border But the F-35 is not just threatening others It's also a weapon of mass destruction Threatening 3,000 Burlington area families according to the Air Force environmental impact statement Especially the children living in those 3,000 homes They're learning memory reading and concentration ability is degraded According to Burlington's own board of health and The World Health Organization While the benefit of Basin F-35s Goes only to certain Burlington commercial real estate development Developers eyeing the 44 acres of now vacant land For which the city has repeatedly requested South Burlington to change the zoning to commercial This would be a scandal if the people of Burlington were denied the right to vote on the resolution That for which so many signatures were gathered to meet the requirements To get on the ballot fortunately, we've recently received credible word From an insider in the Air Force that the F-35 can still be canceled and that alternative equipment is available Article 20 of the Vermont Constitution Gives the basis for town meeting voting that the people have a right to assemble together To consult for their common good to instruct their representatives to instruct you the city council This right ought to be respected especially now with Donald Trump in command This is a radically different kind of decision-maker Who would be commanding our? National guard I urge you to let the people instruct as to whether to sacrifice the cognitive development of Vermont children And whether Burlington should offer itself to collaborate With such a racist Misogynist and unstable commander. Thank you very much. Thank you Julie Mekanya, maybe you'll help me. Thank you, and then Gloria Flynn Good evening. My name is Julie Missuga, and I'm a recent graduate of the University of Vermont I helped collect signatures to put the F-35 issue on the town meeting day ballot, and I am a resident of the Old North End Residents of the greater Burlington area are familiar with the sounds of F-16s But the F-35 at over four times louder would disrupt our lives Already hundreds of people have been bullied out of their affordable housing and those who remain face decreased property values But the value of homes will be the least of residents concerns as noise pollution would threaten people Particularly the children and elderly with healing loss developmental delays heart issues and more I Am always reading about the aging population of Vermont and the fact that young people don't want to stay here a Lack of affordable housing and increased military operations certainly don't encourage people like me to stay While I was out collecting signatures of Burlington voters I had to turn away many people from Essex Hinesburg South Burlington and Winooski who would have to deal with this program like we would The opposition to the F-35s is broader than our petition can show What was most encouraging to me were voters who would listen as I gave facts and figures about the dangers of the F-35s But then asked for time to do their own research more often than not they would come back to sign my petition To deny the citizens whose livelihoods are at stake the opportunity to speak their minds about this issue would be unconscionable This is a justice issue and one that demands careful consideration Burlington should not give its stamp of approval without a vote by the people It is my hope that the city council will grant us the ability to take part in the democratic process Before we destroy the destroy the lives of neighbors elders wildlife and children you glorious Lynn and Then brian pine. Thank you. I want to take the opportunity to comment on the resolution that the council is voting on for 1% sales tax properties to go to Housing and this resolution in particular does not seem one well thought out seems arbitrary There's wording in here that I'm not sure you intend to have it's really going to be only on homes So there's no analysis on the effect of this on homeowners on home prices. It'll make In my opinion housing even less affordable to people in the middle range with two working parents My own home is valued just under $500,000 and I paid $13,000 of property taxes under the new tax laws I won't be able to write all of that off and now when I go to sell my home. You want to put another 1% Tax on that. There's no information on here If this money would go to salaries it goes to actual housing it goes to rent subsidies I Just don't even see how you can vote. Yes, this resolution impacts All single-family homes and nobody else in the city and those are the people they theoretically want to help Thank you very much the housing trust fund Is the ballot and I'm agenda of 6.05. It's a question that is an advisory question. I Have been involved In many ways the thousand trust funds since it went to the voters in 1989 It was a hard-fought win only one by about 250 votes city-wide to create the trust fund It was created as a penny per hundred dollars of value at the time And as many of you know There was an adjustment made during city-wide reappraisal to maintain revenue neutrality that lowered that amount considerably The last fiscal year, I think the mayor introduced a budget which increased it back up to a level that is equivalent to a penny I don't believe it's actually in Charter, I think it's really through the budgetary allocation process Having said that the federal support for affordable housing for cities has decreased significantly since the time that the trust fund was created and in the last In this so-called tax reform that just passed what happens when you lower the corporate tax rate is that Investors in the main vehicle for getting affordable housing created if low-income housing tax credit Their appetite for making investments in tax credits decreases significantly So we're going to actually see a decrease in the value of every dollar of tax credit It used to generate about 90. I'm sorry. You have about 90 cents of equity and that equity is used to create affordable housing We'll be lucky if that dollar now creates 80 cents and maybe south of 80 in the neighborhood of 73 to 75 cents That'll have a significant hit on the state's ability to produce affordable housing our trust fund is Creates permanently affordable housing and to answer a question that was raised earlier The lion's share of that money does go all but about 10 to 15 percent goes right into bricks and mortar creating affordable housing so there really is not a Big supporter of salaries. It's a really important piece of the puzzle to creating affordable housing So anything you can do whether it's the exact wording of this question or or some variation on this question To increase the resources for affordable housing will make a big difference for those folks who are struggling the most Let's remember those folks are the folks learning earning below 50% of median income which the housing trust fund targets That segment of our population and over half the renters in Burlington are rent burdened today So we need to keep this keep the pressure on keep the foot on the pedal in this regard. Thank you. Thank you speaker Leslie Mackenzie Thank you. I'm Leslie Mackenzie. I live here in Burlington. I own a business Burlington I'm in the real estate business and I just want to take a minute to speak to the resolution that you're considering I do understand that it may have actually There may be some discussion about possibly amending it and not bring you forward to reflect the 1% That obviously is what brought out a number of us some of my colleagues in the state business here as well that concern First I might mention I have concern that we would bring although let me preface to say I think we would all agree that there's an affordability challenge both in Burlington in Chittin County and There's none of us in the real estate business who would suggest that we're not concerned about the price of housing about rental prices Or about property taxes, and I think like many are probably even more concerned because of federal tax changes that have just happened and As I've said every time they said that this is a particular Concern for New York, California, etc. They should have been saying for a lot They just weren't because we're so small. We're off the national radar from that standpoint But it is a concern we've not yet seen the ripple of affordability and what that's going to mean for pricing Stabilizing since that hasn't really played out yet So again, I suggest we're concerned about affordability But to bring forth the resolution that I think has not been vetted as well as it should and not allowed some process Doesn't make sense. I would also suggest that to address affordability by making things less affordable Isn't the way to go? I would echo Luria's very articulate comments. I agree with all of those So I won't repeat those. I Do think we need to look at a much more holistic approach I would encourage you to look at opportunities that can improve our economic climate that does allow more housing We have seen more rental units built over the last four or five years and we saw vacancy rates Actually move up nearly a point because of that We're still below the national numbers But it shows that by adding more product at fair market housing prices Starts to move the needle and we need to build more housing around not just affordable housing But also workforce housing in upper middle-class housing as well. There's an opportunity and a demand for that I think if we could raise Increase our grand list. We would have opportunities to address some of these issues So I would really discourage you from looking at a proposal that looks at such a small segment of people We've worked hard to invest in their properties that are paying substantial property taxes to take away potentially 5,000 6,000 of their equity at the time they sell or to charge over purchasing an Additional five or six or seven thousand dollars at the time they purchase is a way to encourage people to move to other cities instead of Burlington So thank you very much for listening. Thank you Matt Hurlbert is next Thanks folks. I'm here to address the same 1% sales tax. My name is Matt Hurlbert. I'm a real estate broker I live in the New North and I work downtown with my own office and I live and breathe Love this town, but this is not a tax that's going to benefit anybody in Burlington It's certainly not in my opinion affordable housing a few speaking points. The IRS just changed Taxation So these people are already getting hit by not being able to write off more than their ten thousand dollars in property taxes annually This year we're looking at a double-digit increase expected for schools These are the people who have to pay their own way. They receive no property tax pre-bate It's estimated that 70% of residents of Vermont receive this assistance and it's not going to be these people This proposal I feel is going to drive anyone with a means to pay taxes out of our city and possibly out of our state We all have a choice where to live where to do business For me, I choose Burlington But this is not making my job in my career to help people sell or purchase property and easier I can't imagine another five six seven thousand dollars in closing costs for either side of the table And that's what this means the proposal is going to discourage these capable taxpayers I think from being here I feel it's unfair to discriminate against this segment We should encourage people to invest in Burlington these folks Have purpose and I think this discourages them. I feel and I think people in my industry would agree that the affordable housing crisis is Largely in debt to zoning policy and permanent policy And I think we need zoning reform in the city of Burlington. I think we need permitting reform I spoke to a lot of people this afternoon before coming here tonight a couple of builders that are local one that lives in the city lives out of the city but builds in Chippin County and They said Matt remind people that the builders cost is nearly 40% for each home just in the permitting process 40% so right now And think about this Thank you. Thank you Signing up. You just want to bring it to me. I could just Jessica bridge Yes Jessica bridge There I'm here supported by a lot of my colleagues and I also believe that If we need to continue to fund The affordable housing programs there should be a process there should be a vetting process Industry professionals should be involved. I think that there's probably a way to Come up with a much more comprehensive plan to achieve the goal maybe surpass what Is is being proposed In its current form and I do think it's really I mean obviously there are Multiple people from my industry that are here with a vested interest in this and it's important for our industry and for Everyone to have housing that is affordable to them And and you know, it's this is not just because it's going to affect Realtors and our pockets, you know, we have a deep vested interest in the community and in housing for everybody And I think you will find More than one Participant willing to sit on a committee to help come up with a more comprehensive plan So, thank you. Thank you Okay, so seeing no other speakers, I think I'm going to now unless someone else wants to speak So I'm going to close the public forum And we will do the consent agenda Councilor, thank you. I'll move to amend and adopt the consent agenda taking the following and the actions as indicated Is there a second? Councillor Boucher. Thank you. Any discussion on the consent agenda? Seem none on favor of adopting our consent agenda as amended, please say aye Any opposed? That carries unanimously I'd like to call just a just a very quick recess to consult with the chair of the ordinance today There's a bloomed back in like three to five minutes I'll make sure I I Don't I Alright And so it's advisory, so that means all, like, like, it's a public process, like, nothing. Everyone gets to vote, has a vote. So it's just, it's definitely, it's jumping with the fact that we're going like, I'm going to pass. It's better than it looks. It's better than it looks. I saw that for the first time. So, I think it's like, they're going to represent a place. I definitely don't want to see me, like, go all the way to the next place. I just want to spend a little bit of experience. Because they need to start coming back out. Obviously they have great things. But we don't really want to step up there. It's very long. Who is it?