 Good evening, everyone. I'm going to convene this regular meeting of the city council. Would city councillors please take their seats? City councillors Please take your seats convene this regular meeting of the city council tonight at 7 12 and would you all please join with me and Stand in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance First item on the agenda tonight is the agenda councillor, no doubt President right. I'm I moved to amend our agenda as follows First to and to adopt it first to note written materials for the consent agenda item 3.17 resolution on reclassification of the chief of staff mayoral communications and projects coordinator and Administrative coordinator positions in the mayor's office from the board of finance Add 3.18 to the cons add to the consent agenda item 3.18 Which is the communication from Michael Trombly? Regarding the 75 maple Street proposed rezoning with the action to waive it Accept it and place it on file add to the consent agenda item 3.19 the resolution on finalization and availability of annual city audit for F way 18 from the board of finance with the action to waive it and adopt it Per the CAO remove from the agenda item 4.01 which was a presentation from Jillian Newton's from CEDO and Kevin Hiveley the principal at NING grant part partners regarding the neighborhood project project final report November 2018 Note the sponsor title change and written materials for agenda item 4.06 the resolution for the March 5th 2019 annual city meeting amendments to charter changes to strengthen and restructure downtown improvement district from council roof Note the written communications regarding agenda item 4.08 Which is the resolution for the March 5th 2019 annual city meeting advisory ballot question regarding the city hall park persindi white and chief of staff redell amend agenda item 4.09 to remove Z a 1808 form district 5 boundaries from the public hearing Regarding proposed amendments to Burlington comprehensive development ordinance per comprehensive plan or Tuttle removed from the agenda item 4.11 the ordinance CDO form district 5 boundaries Z a number 1808 per the comprehensive planner amend the motion for agenda item 4.13 Ordinance comprehensive development ordinance density calculations Z a number 19-05 Planning Department Planning Commission ordinance committee to quote Quote to suspend the rules waive all requirements for first and second readings and referral to the ordinance committee and adopt Z a 19-05 per assistant city attorney sturdivant add to the agenda item 4.14 resolution March 5th 2019 annual city meeting increase in maximum tax rate for general city purposes authorized board of finance note revised version of This agenda item specifically the resolution itself and written materials per CAO Anderson Thank You councillor Nodell second by councillor busher any discussion on the agenda Councillor Mason. Thank You president right. I would like to make an additional amendment that was Didn't make the long list of amendments and that would be to amend agenda 4.09 to remove Z a 1902 from the public hearing and Also amend Gotta catch up here Remove excuse me from the agenda item 4.12 Which deals again with Z a 1902 expectations will take that up at a subsequent meeting Consumersion 4.09 is not removed, but the public hearing is removed It's just removed from the public hearing consideration of Public hearing on that matter and then also remove 4.12 from tonight's agenda Okay. Thank You councillor Mason Any further amendments or a discussion on the agenda amendments here We have a second from councillor busher all those in favor of the agenda as amended. Please say aye Any opposed we have our agenda item number two is public forum That is normally for a time certain of 730, but it's pretty clear With the number of people that have signed up that we will go way past 730 So we're going to start it early tonight and It will be because of the number of people speaking it will be two minutes rather than three minutes rather than the normal three minutes and Just to start out with we know that there is an issue that many people are going to be speaking on tonight that there's a lot of passion around and We will listen attentively up here to your comments and remarks and All that we ask is that you the comments that you make Certainly show all of the passion that you want, but we do ask that the comments be made respectfully Please don't call out city councillors or the mayor If you want to make comments, they should go through the council president and not be personalized to different councillors or the mayor But otherwise tell us whatever you want to tell us So We will kick this off and not that everybody is speaking in public forum is speaking about the parks issue But I'm sure most are so we'll kick this off with Erika reddick. Thank you, sir. Thank you council. I am actually just here tonight to say hello and introduce myself Everybody make sure you pull the microphone in I'll handle that is this better. Yes about this Really, but really close? My name is Erika Bundy reddick and I'm here tonight to introduce myself as a new candidate for the north district seat of city council So I just wanted to say hello and thank you for your service And I look forward to getting to know all of you moving forward and all of you who are especially in my District, I'd like to hear what you have to say and what you're concerned about so I can make sure that The new north end is represented well on the council And that's it. Thank you very much miss reddick Sander Wheeler is up next Sandy Wheeler to be followed by Janet Patterson This is any topic that you speak on this is a public hearings later on charter changes This is a charter change, which is the DID We have a public hearing on DID but you can speak on it now if you choose to that's fine I just wanted to say that they I appreciate all the hard work and effort people have done to Think carefully about the future of Burlington and in particular. I'm speaking in favor of amending the downtown improvement district for the following simple reasons the The success of the church street marketplace is noted and it's gone for decades and the customers and People I know in Burlington residents and otherwise All know and appreciate that Burlington is much more diverse and rich than a four-block Shopping district and what excites me about the expansion of the DID is that valuable resources will be continued to be applied to the marketplace, but will be extended to the many dozens of important blocks that provide the character and the special nature of Burlington and I think it's time to do that and That's what I had to say Thank You mr. Wheeler appreciate that Janet Patterson is up next to be followed by Shereen Hart Good evening, Ms. Patterson welcome I'm Janet Patterson. I'm a long-time resident of Burlington. I think I know most of you on the council and I'm a taxpayer. I Just want to say that I've been Appreciated all the work that's been done in City Hall Park But I don't agree with some of it So what I'm suggesting that we do is we have this vote and make it possible for everybody to vote in Burlington and make a decision as to whether we want what's planned or we want a new plan I've walked through the park. I've been part of Gathering and making sure that people throw away the right things as part of Recycling and composting and so on so I've been part of the park for a long time. I Really feel that we need to have it very local we don't need food we need bathrooms and and Walks and benches, so I would vote for benches and bathrooms and Just to make sure that we have the right to vote Bringing that as a ballot issue is very important to me and thank you for all your work Thank You, Ms. Patterson and the one thing I did not announce is there's a time system in front of you Of course when the middle light goes off your time is starting to wind down You probably have between a half minute and a minute and when the red light goes off You need to conclude your remarks and it's important tonight that everybody follows by the two minutes So Shereen Hart is up next to be followed by Wayne Senville. Good evening, Ms. Hart. Welcome I'm here personally and on behalf of the Burlington business association and Forgive me for reading as part of our work advocating advocating for Burlington's economic value-telling We know how important it is that Burlington ensures that its residents and visitors have access to safe inviting public spaces The plan for the revitalization of City Hall Park shows that our community is making the effort to provide just this type of space in our downtown After extensive public input and several design changes to better meet the desires of community members The current plan provides City Hall Park with a real future as a community asset featuring healthy trees grass spaces for services and park visitors an Open area for community members to meet and environmental features that will support our community's values on environmental sustainability This plan was voted on to move forward by council 11 to 1 nearly eight years at eight months ago It feels like eight years it is time It is time to move this forward on behalf of the 200 plus members of the Burlington business Association We support this existing plan for the park It will serve to improve vibrancy supporting our local businesses and bringing more people to downtown The current plan will create a public space that residents visitors and downtown workers can enjoy It is vital that Burlington supports efforts to revitalize the park in the same way We have for the northern waterfront and bike path the time is now to bring this positive change to downtown Burlington As such on behalf of the BBA board and all its member businesses We urge the council to move forward with the current plan to revitalize City Hall Park in the most expeditious manner Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Hart Wayne Senville is up next to be followed by Charlie Messing. Good evening. Mr. Senville and welcome good evening And I hope you'll also excuse me for re for reading since I write better than I speak over 300 Burlington voters 3300 have signed their names to the advisory question on City Hall Park that you're considering tonight That's a truly huge number of people to sign a petition It's with disappointment that I've heard that the mayor and some of you may refuse to place the advisory Question on the ballot as it is worded and signed off on by so many voters. I really hope that you'll reconsider I Know the projects has taken much time and much money has been spent on the plan so far But I'd ask you to recall the waterfront Transit Center project Over two million dollars and several years had been spent on that Before there was a public outcry and the mayor Mayor Clavel and the city council Reconsidered that plan the end result though delayed was a much better project As with that project what's at stake with the four million dollar City Hall plan will be with us for decades We need to get it right and to have a plan that the majority of the community stands behind That's what we'll learn from the advisory question in just five weeks If you put it on the ballot as a retired city planner in the past member and past chair of the Burlington Planning Commission I know not to expect a perfect process or a perfect plan But at last year's DRB hearing Nearly 200 people spoke out against it and now 3300 residents are asking to weigh in through the advisory question process The petition before you is like the flashing red lights and warning bells at a railroad crossing when a train's approaching It's asking you to stop and to listen Thank You mr. Senville Charlie messing to be followed by Kathleen Ryan Good evening mr. Messing and we're glad you're feeling better tonight One two one two Okay, I guess I just want to be audible Hello mayor Wineburger counselors and everyone else Great a lot of people here okay I've been to every park planning meeting and public input session since 2014 At the public input sessions or charrettes The design team handed out questionnaires about what changes were most important We split into groups. We got about 10 minutes to discuss ideas. We were rushed and Humored They classified our ideas to fit the questionnaires they collected our ideas on big pads Then passed out little round colored stickers. We got 10 each for each set of six options represented by Drawn boxes we applied the stickers to the boxes which represented more trees or Accessibility or more activities peace and quiet, etc We gave them our input and each time the revision was presented The through nearly Eligible charts and PowerPoint Presentations we noticed the plan had changed very little I have here the original plan from three years ago and the latest design from last summer After the ad hoc committee you may see similarities a lot of similarities 18 seconds There are a lot of people here who feel strongly on both sides of this issue a lot of people and they feel strongly To have the people vote or not no more voting. Let's go on I think this is absolute proof why we need to let the people vote in March. Thank you Thank you, mr. Messing Kathleen Ryan is up next To be followed by Mark Porter Good evening, Ms. Ryan welcome You know my name. I'm a landscape architect. I've been retired. Oh, hello. Sorry. Can I get another minute? My name is Kathleen Ryan I practice landscape architecture in Burlington from 1972 Turn the microphone towards you served on both the design advisory board and the planning commission for several years I want to talk about what seems to have been treated as an Inconvenient truth City Hall Park is the center of the define and the defining feature and the namesake of a national Register historic district the city has awarded that designation was awarded at in 83 It encompasses the park and 23 surrounding buildings the Essex Essence of the park's historic design is the formal aerial walkways Leading to the strong central focal point of the decorative fountain, which is visible from three entries This layout has been essentially the same since for 150 years Despite the current state of disrepair at the park We have a lot of other industries that have it if you wear clothes You're wearing child slave labor if you have electronics if you have sugar And if you have chocolate tonight, I'll just talk about chocolate please please as a Our new holiday coming up Valentine's Day if you're gonna buy chocolate and you don't need chocolate You really don't please make it fair trade chocolate and let's support Making the world fairer for everybody, especially the children. Thank you very much. Thank you miss win. I Believe I got the last name wrong is Dan Daniel You're passing Okay, it's Carolyn Bates up next then to be followed by Elizabeth Curtis. Good evening miss Bates. Welcome Good evening Kurt right. Thank you very much. I'd stuff packed in a anyway. I Want to thank everyone I have gone to over the past three years about City Hall Park as well as all of the citizens Who've participated in this for their time? It's been a totally incredible amount of time. I am Carolyn Bates. I'm a photographer I've been a Burlington resident since 1973 owned a home since 78 and I'm part of word 5. I Want to say the people are people and sometimes we change our minds after long conversations yesterday With a friend of mine who had a sister who was a quadriplegic and Another friend who has a disabled child Both are being from our community. I have come to realize that my feelings on the park have changed I am proud of our efforts on saving more trees But I know with a better understanding of the widening of walkways and an intersection with the found for children with disabilities and Families that I have a new respect for the space that they need to navigate and it's more And it's more than most people thought in size as I relook at the plan for City Hall Park I can see that we are all getting something out of this as a community I hope people who are not in favor of this don't design will rethink this and have the courage to say so For the children in wheelchairs who need a cool place to play and water to splash around in Let us all build this park Sooner rather than later To me these kids are more important than anything else even the trees Thank you. Thank you, Miss Bates Elizabeth Curtis is up next to be followed by Travis Ryer Good evening and welcome Thank you. Hello. I live in Ward 3 on Blodgett Street and I Don't have a particular opinion on the park, but I do have a particular opinion about how we decide these things in America Mostly we like to quantify problems. We like to get a number I had a historic tree removed and it was only done after I could prove to the city that the Historic tree had raised my driveway and sidewalk by 18 inches and and eaten 19 Measurable inches out of my driveway and as STA couldn't get in we met all those standards So I'm open to other people's numbers as well But I also question. How do you quantify the ineffable the lunches the books read the quiet sitting? And we have a way for that we ask each and every person who has had that experience to think about it and look at their ballot and a sign a number It can be one for yes. It can be two for no it can or vice versa and There will be a winner and there will be a loser But everyone will know that they have won or lost in an open fair and quantified competition Thank you and Travis ryer is up next to be followed by John Bosange Good evening. Hi. It's fryer, but that's okay. I probably scribbled it So I'm not here to debate the merits of the new plan I don't think that's what we're supposed to be debating here at this point. It's Whether citizens should have a say It's a question of the democratic process as far as I understand what we're debating So Regardless, I think of Regardless of what anyone thinks about the new plan. I think everyone should be for putting the question on the ballot Because it's just better democratic process to get everyone's opinion Yeah, so I'm here to ask that City Council put the question on the ballot Thank you and John Bosange is up next Good evening. Mr. Bosange welcome to be followed by Lynn Martin. Good evening I'm John Bosange vice chair of the parks recreation waterfront Commission The Commission has unanimously Supported the existing City Hall Park plan That you voted to approve several months ago by an 11 to one margin We are most appreciative of The thoughtfulness that you have given to this important city project As you know this initiative has been going on for four or five years The past two years or so there have been multiple forums and public hearings At each one the department has listened and Made changes and adjustments to the initial design You've supported that lengthy process as as our Commission because we both understand how important Public input is to a project like this one and we both understand the importance of preserving the often time-consuming process In democracy of making a decision We listen as you have and When the time comes for a vote you are elected officials and Representatives will make a well-informed decision because you've given residents an Opportunity to weigh in and you've been given the critical information from the design team The Commission is most grateful that you have been patient and Trusted that process Even after you voted 11 to 1 to approve a plan you left the door open For additional feedback and that information came back to the department and still more changes were made to the plan Equally important you have understood that our City Hall Park is foremost a civic square Which has served Burlingtonians for over a hundred and fifty years. It is a place For community and people to gather Relax and host of a variety of activities. It is an active functioning urban space Thank you for your patience and wisdom and letting this process play itself out. We've got a great design You've done your job. Well, thank you, mr. Bassange Lynn Martin to be followed by Richard Helyard Good evening, Ms. Martin welcome Good evening. Good evening There you go You've all seen me here before and have heard my position which is now reflected in the good work of Donna Monique I'm here to beg you to listen to the thousands of residents who signed the petition Put the ballot question they support as currently written on the March ballot It was approved in advance by Arlene Blackburn Submitted to her to first stall the type of hijinks now being floated by some council members We pride ourselves for living in a democracy But over the past few years Input from the residents of this city have been shelled far too often if not pushed into the empty hole that now Graces the center of our downtown We don't want our government to be another version of Trump light Democracy is fragile, and I am begging you again Please stand with the people they will thank you at the polls, and I thank you now for letting me speak Thank You Ms. Martin Richard Helyard to be followed by Vincent Pierce. Good evening, mr. Helyard. Welcome Good evening president right. Thank you I Informed by Councillor no-dales posting on front porch forum that I only just picked up She is telling us that the city budget Is going to be short always short before a few tasks of 1.8 million? And it appears that the latest proposal that may or may not be before you tonight We'll get down to about 1,500,000 which will be Added to the Tax bill so I've got some ideas that I'd offer for consideration Perspone the city hall park redesign until there is an informed and publicly acceptable design I'm guessing that that could save a million dollars in spend for 2019-2020 I'm not saying The design is good or the design is bad, but 3,300 people are not all to be dismissed This gives the opportunity For some other additional spend and given that the Burlington Police Department is loath to implement Traffic enforcement during gap years between Traffic safety issues being identified in the city and traffic enforcement being implemented I'd prioritize a hundred thousand dollars in speed radar signs or similar devices that we could put in sensitive safety Identified areas around the city. I'd add 250,000 for recruiting the net gain of 750 new jobs in the redevelopment of Burnett and town center Over and above the thousand plus that have left 100,000 to monitor the relationship with Brookfield so that we don't have to be embarrassed by the softball Exhibition last Tuesday and finally Seven seconds finally surely the city has a responsibility to advise the net financial loss to the tax base With the incessant delays of fuscation and to use a little cockney rhyming slang a series of porkies on the town center redevelopment, thank you, mr. Hilliard Vincent Pierce is up next to be followed by Amy Radcliffe Good evening mr. Pierce welcome. Good evening. Thank y'all for being here. My name is Vincent Pierce I'm a resident of Ward 2 and along with John Bessange and a few other folks Current member of the parks recreation and waterfront Commission where I've had the pleasure to serve for the last three years I'm not here to speak on behalf of my colleagues, although as John mentioned We have all expressed our unanimous support for the plan and its current iteration Like many other speakers here tonight. I appreciate your hard work and your commitment To this project and I appreciate the passion of everyone on both sides Because in the end we we want the same thing which is a beautiful functional and welcoming park that works for all burling Tonians and Anyone who's visiting But like many other people I encourage you to move ahead with this project We've delayed and delayed and delayed I don't think anyone can argue that the park doesn't need updates as someone mentioned earlier the sidewalks are too narrow There's patches of dirt everywhere Rather than keeping the park green we need to make it green because in the summer though It is beautiful trees are dying grass is dying and I look forward to moving forward with this project as as as planned and Seeing new growth new flowers new shrubs As as we've planned I've been trying to keep up with with with all the different things that people have been saying about the park And as I mentioned I really appreciate the passion of everyone, but one thing I will say