 Let me jump right in one second. Let me just get everything up. Okay, so let's call this meeting to order at 505. The first item on the agenda is the agenda may please have a motion on the agenda. Move to adopt the agenda. Council member moves it seconded by Council Paul any discussion. Okay, all those in favor please say aye. That carries. And we have an agenda. So that brings us into the, I'm going to go look at the public forum sheet again, not seeing anyone as having signed up at this point again folks if you are wanting to comment on particular items also stop after an explanation is given and you can use the raise hand function I do see a couple folks there. You can use the raise hand function, or again use that public forum sign up sheet. I'll be checking both of those. So just let me know but the raise hand functions probably the easiest and again I'll stop after each item that we have this evening so with that let's jump right into our first item which is the school budget item and we have Nathan Lavery from the district with us to share some information about the school budget. So I will turn it over to Nathan and have you just share some information about what folks are going to be voting on. Great. Thank you President Tracy so I will briefly share my screen here and remind folks that the presentation you're seeing tonight is on the city's board dots page. And if you have additional, you know, if you're looking for additional school budget information you can visit www.vsdbt.org the school district website, and under the budget tab there we have extensive budget information. So very briefly there is a ballot question as there is every year to adopt the school budget and I'm going to provide a few quick highlights by scrolling through this presentation. One of the things that the budget incorporates is a significant number of operational reductions items that are not anticipated to have any programmatic impact on on student learning, but are ways that we could reduce costs to taxpayers. There are new modest increases to the budget including adding some money to support communications with our multilingual families, and also some money to support implementation of our new strategic plan in the coming year. We further identified with our principals and directors opportunities to create savings associated with limiting vacant positions and other budget reductions. And as we'll see in the next screen here in order to control the rate of growth in the school budget and the major cost driver, in addition to kind of regular growth which is in the baseline number that happens every year is the relocation of students into the downtown campus location and to other various sites for our tech center, those relocations made necessary by the presence of PCBs on the Burlington High School campus on Institute Road. So, knowing that those costs were present we made a lot of efforts to reduce spending in areas that we could control, and we saw support from the state for some of the costs of moving into downtown BHS that that support has passed the end and we're just waiting on final action from the governor, so that will further reduce costs by to the tune of $720,000 in the first year. The net result of all this is a budget of $95.1 million that's the figure that appears on the ballot. And one other thing that's important to note about the that budgets includes application of over $4 million of surplus funds. Those are reserves the district had largely from savings associated with closing down through the middle of last school year and roughly this time almost in March last school year due to coven. So we had substantial savings associated with that we're able to put that back toward our budget next year, again reducing the tax impact. There are estimated tax impacts in our presentation and associated with this budget, including a 6.88% increase in property tax rates, and we've translated that into what the budget would look like for a hypothetical property taxpayer and a hypothetical pair of education taxes based on income. One of the most encouraging recent signs out of the legislature is that we are likely to actually experience a lower property tax impact than these estimates project, because the state's education fund that is the way that the state funds education has has shown much more robust revenue estimates recently that is to say that there's more money likely coming into that fund to support schools, meaning that there's a lower burden on taxpayers so we're optimistic that our tax rate increase estimates here are on the high end of what is likely. As usual, those numbers are not finalized until the legislative session ends. So that's the school budget in a nutshell, this presentation does contain the ballot language, which is will appear on the ballot and references the $95 million budget, and also reflects the fact that on a per pupil, equalized pupil basis are spending is actually growing by less than 1%. So that is our presentation for tonight. Well, thank you very much for that I appreciate that. Are there any questions on this item I see we have for people as attendees, not seeing anybody who you can use the raise hand function which if you go to the public comment section, you should be able to use that function. Anybody who's interested in commenting, can identify you still not seeing anybody as having signed up in the public comment section one once twice. Okay, great well thank you so much Nathan for your explanation there very much appreciate it and we will, and if is there contact information if folks have questions or other things that they can ask for the district for clarification from the district. Okay. If there's any if there's any questions that folks have between now and town meeting day they should use the email address superintendent at bsdbt.org or any of those questions and and will respond as quickly as we can. Okay, wonderful well thanks for sharing that information with us and we'll look forward to seeing the results on town meeting day. Great. Thank you all. Have a good night. Thank you you as well. So, we have next we have item number two, which is a question regarding adding members to the board of airport commissioners, and we have counselor Paul with us this evening. So counselor Paul are you able to just provide a summary of what this ballot item is about since you've been involved with it. You're muted right now. I don't know why I can't get the hang of that. Sorry about that. It's actually item number three. One was the agenda. So we're up to three. Okay, yeah. We're just whizzing along. So this is a proposed charter change to add members to the board of airport commissioners there is currently five seats on the commission for our for the city of Burlington that are appointed by the city council with the mayor presiding so there's 13 votes. And one is appointed by South Burlington it's a seat for the city of South Burlington and it's appointed by the South Burlington city council. So, just in a nutshell, this charter change has been a long time in the making it was began when Burlington undertook a strategic plan to develop a strategic plan for the airport several years ago and one of the points that was raised in that plan was governance. And that's when Winooski's long standing desire to have representation, you know, formal voice at the table on the airport commission. Since that time, and particularly over the last two years, the three cities Winooski Burlington and South Burlington under the leadership of Mayor Weinberger, Mayor lot of Winooski and council council chair, Helen really have begun, actively working collaborating on the common goals and priorities that we all have for the airport for serving the needs of those mostly most impacted by the airport notably noise mitigation and addressing this next phase of the noise of noise mitigation for those directly impacted. This resulted in an MOU. And in the MOU there's a number of commitments that each city has one of the commitments for Burlington was that we would ask for the approval by the voters for a seat for the city of Winooski at the earliest possible city election. The MOU was just signed a little over a month ago and here we are at the first early estate to ask the voters, it is a charter change. And I just would just just so that people understand this would add a seat for Winooski, but also add a seat for Burlington and what that does is that while it adds a seat for Winooski, it would also maintain an odd number of commissioners, which is something that we strive to do on all city commissions and boards, and it would, and it would maintain the balance of one from Winooski, one from South Burlington, and then the remaining members of the commission from the city of Burlington. That's the charter change. Thank you for that explanation. I'm still not seeing anyone has having signed up in the using that public forum side we also have as an option the raise hand function. So if anybody has a question or a comment on this particular item. Please feel free to use the raise hand function in zoom. If you are interested in speaking to items. Okay, go in once. Okay, we will move on. Thank you counselor Paul for that explanation. Thanks very much. Yeah, we're going to move on to our next item which is the proposed charter change to regulate thermal energy systems. So counselor Hansen, can I ask you to please provide an explanation of what this this item is. Yeah, happy to. Thanks President Tracy and good to see you all again. Second night in a row. So this item is sort of broad authorizing language that would give the city the ability to create policies to regulate thermal energy systems in buildings both new and existing buildings, commercial and residential. So I'm hoping the ability to assess a carbon impact fee. However, with that particular type of policy. It could not be enacted in less a specific proposal were to be approved by the voters so any sort of carbon impact fee would have to go before the voters of Burlington, at a citywide election before being enacted. So that's to regulate thermal energy could could be created under this charter change. So that's, that's kind of the quick summary and this doesn't prescribe any particular policy. It just authorizes the city to create policy within within this domain. Excellent. Well thank you for that explanation. Are there any members of the public who are interested in speaking to this particular item. I can certainly use the raise hand function and zoom not seeing any folks is having signed up. And I should, I should add President Tracy I left out one key component of it is that the policies in this in this area would specifically be for the purposes of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the city so it's not just. If you do any policy related to thermal energy systems, it's policy specific to reducing emissions. Okay. Thank you very much. Still not seeing anyone is having raised their hand. Is there anybody who's interested in speaking, you can indicate by using the raise hand function. I'm still not seeing anyone who signed up in the public forum document either so we will move on thank you for that explanation counselor Hansen. The next item you will believe we're also asking you to explain which is item number five proposed charter change to adopt rank choice voting for city counselors. Would you be able to please also provide an explanation of what this ballot item concerns counselor Hansen. Sure yeah so this ballot item would change the way that we conduct elections for city council elections in Burlington. The current system from the current system where you select one candidate and there's a 40% threshold and if a candidate achieves 40% of the vote they are elected. If no candidate receives 40% of the vote there's a runoff between the top two can the top two vote getters. This would shift from that system to an instant runoff voting ranked choice voting system in which you would be able to rank in order of preference. Up to the number of candidates running so if there's five candidates running, you could rank up to one through five or any amount less than that. You rank your candidates in order of preference and then if a candidate in the first round receives greater than 50% of the vote that candidate is elected. If no candidate receives 50% of those first choice preferences. There's an instant runoff that's that's conducted, whereby the top the bottom vote getting candidate is eliminated and everyone who voted for that candidate. Their vote instead moves towards their second choice candidate, and so on and so forth until a candidate does actually surpass 50% of the vote. So it's, it's, it's different from our current system, sort of in two ways one is the threshold, or three ways I guess one is the ability for voters to rank. Two is the threshold of victory changing from 40% to 50% and then the third change is that instead of a separate runoff election in the case of runoff there's an immediate runoff that takes place and is calculated under the system. So those are sort of the three main changes that would come into effect if if this charter change were approved. Okay, thank you for that explanation. Again, if folks are interested in commenting or asking a question about the system. Please use the raise hand function. I'm still not seeing anyone in the public information hearing again if you are interested in signing up for that. You can do so by going to Burlington vt.gov slash city council slash public forum. Certainly welcome to use the raise hand function as well and I'll unmute your mics. Okay, still not seen anyone going once twice. Three times okay we'll go ahead and move on to the next item and I'm going to go regarding just cause evictions and for that I will ask counselor pine to provide an explanation there. Thank you, President Tracy question number five on the ballot is regarding essentially a charter change asking the voters if the city council should have the authority to amend laws that regulate the termination of tenancy residential tenancy only. And as with all charter changes would need to go before the state legislature. Essentially what this proposal accomplishes or proposes to accomplish is that residential tenants would be the determinate a tenancy, a property owner rental property owner would have to have a, a just cause and just causes are to include but not be limited to a material breach of a written rental agreement by the tenant tenants violation of state statutes, regulating tenants obligations in the rental agreements, non payment of rent and attendance failure or unwillingness to accept and sign a new lease with reasonable good faith renewal terms. The council decided to include some exemptions from this provision, and those exemptions are listed in the full wording of the question. But the ordinance would be, would essentially exempt a number of property ownership scenarios and conditions that I will list sub lets and in unit rentals. And as, as well as the following, but perhaps not limited to one or occupied duplexes and triplexes units being withdrawn from the rental market, including properties to be occupied by the owner, or an immediate family member as their primary residents, and those units in need of substantial renovation or rehabilitation. This provision that also mitigates the potential negative impacts on both tenants and property owners. That is to include adequate notice and reasonable relocation expenses. And reasonable probationary period, after the initial occupancy before this protection or this law would kick would would go into effect and to limit unreasonable rent increases that are the can be deemed essentially de facto evictions. And so this is not intended to limit rent increases broadly in the market it is intended to only relate to those rent increases which are are asserted to be for the purposes of removing a tenant. Lastly, it, the charter change essentially lays out that the ordinance will define what is reasonable and adequate notice in defining just cause and require that. Landlord provide notice of just cause and other legal requirements as part of a lease. Excellent. Okay. Appreciate that explanation. Are there any comments or questions from members of the public again. Not seeing anybody has been signed up in the sheet. You can also okay I see. Well, I will unmute your mic so go ahead you should have speaking there you go. Welcome. Hi, can you hear me. Yes, I can go ahead. Great. Hi, thanks Max. Thanks Brian. There is a, there is a piece of this that says that if a, if a property is being taken off the rental market. Then the landlord can evict the tenant or that's a clause. Is that correct. Just to clarify that it is to terminate the tenancy but it doesn't require eviction per se. Yeah, yeah, yeah my words are bad. I mean, is taking our short term rentals or Airbnb's are those rentals. I mean, could a could a land could a property owner take the property off the rental market but turn it into an Airbnb and use that to terminate a tenant. I guess the city attorney to help me with this because that is a policy issue an area arena that the city council is currently grappling with actually counselor high towers involved in the ordinance committee so there's a joint committee of our city council ordinance committee along with the entire planning commission that is looking very much at the issue of short term rentals. So I'd have to ask, maybe, either counselor high tower and or and or city attorney blackwood to help respond to that question. Okay, I see attorney blackwood you turn on your camera are you able to speak to it attorney blackwood. I can speak to it I think we can't tell you the answer to that for two reasons. One the short term rental are in the process of the city's looking at that, because what you're raising is sort of a larger issue as to removal of housing from the rental market and the short term rental market, and the city is in the midst of grappling with that. So, so that will be determined elsewhere and also this is just a charter provision, saying that an ordinance can be adopted. So there isn't yet an ordinance that is specifically being discussed or that has been drafted to go along with this and between those two options that's I suspect when that issue will get discussed. Okay, so, so you anticipate by the time the ordinance is actually implemented the, the issues associated with short term rentals will be reconciled it all kind of come together. I think that will be everybody's goal to try to just to try to do that, if the if there's a way to do it so I, I'm not guaranteeing that someone's going to come up with any specific results. Okay, thank you very much. Wonderful. Councillor hi tower so you flipped on. Okay, I don't know if you had anything to add counselor but I think Eileen covered it well. Okay, wonderful. All right. Were there other members of the public wishing just to comment or ask a question on this item you can use the raise hand function. Check this form again. Okay, not seeing anyone on the form having signed up. Certainly use the raise hand function. Okay, seeing. None. I'm going to go ahead and move us along to the next item, which is regarding opting in to off to retail cannabis sales. And for that I'm going to go to counselor carpenter. Thanks. As you all may have been following the state legislature has been grappling for a number of years with the question of legalizing marijuana and cannabis products. This last fall, the state did pass a piece of legislation that does legalist legalize cannabis products including the sale of cannabis products. Under that legislation which is being referred to as Act 164. The state has said, specifically for the purposes of retail sales, I shops, a community can choose to opt in or not to allow the sale the retail sale of cannabis in their community. Almost all of the regulation under Act 64 is governed by the state. But there is this provision that if you a community want to allow the sale of retail cannabis products in your community, then you need to opt in you need to affirmatively say, we will allow it. So what this valid item does is, if you vote for it. It says we will allow the sale of retail cannabis in our community. If you vote against it then we would not be allowing the sale of retail cannabis in our community. And as part of that and the rationale for doing it now is, this would not be implemented until October of 2022. The state has put out some timelines about when retail sales can begin in a community. The soonest that retail sales could begin in the state. If a community opt in would be May of 22, depending on the type of license you have Burlington made a decision that we want to have all the licensees under the state program start at the same time. That October of 22 is when the small growers are allowed. And so that's we've explicitly put that on our ballot. And then in between that time, if this is adopted the city will develop a cannabis control board and will develop ordinances around those retail shops within the framework of what is allowed in the state law. There's a lot of governance and oversight site by the state state legislation. So the community is somewhat limited in what it can control other than to affirmatively say, we will allow it in our community. Okay. Great well thank you for that explanation counselor. Are there any members of the public wishing to ask a question or just comment on this item. You can use the raise hand function. Not seeing anyone who signed up. Can you can use the raise hand function in the zoom to indicate that you'd like to comment and I'll enable your microphone. Once twice. Okay, thank you again counselor carpenter. I'm going to turn to the final item for this evening. A question regarding an advisory question regarding climate justice in building decarbonization. I'm going to turn back to counselor Hansen for an explanation of this question. Great thanks. The question directly relates to ballot question three, the charter change related to the regulation of thermal energy systems in buildings. And this is an advisory question that would I guess I'll use the word advice from the voters to the city council to in the event that the that the charter change passes and the council does have the authority to enact policies along these lines. And this advises the council to enact policies in that realm that would benefit low and moderate income Burlingtonians and BIPOC Burlingtonians in the policy creation regarding thermal energy systems and buildings so it directly relates to ballot question three, the charter change and and the policies that could ultimately flow out of that charter change. Thank you for that explanation counselor. Are there any members of the public who would like to speak to this item can use the raise hand function. Not seeing anybody signed up in the form. Okay. Going once twice. Alright, that completes our agenda for this evening. I appreciate all the explanations that were given to provide clarity for the voters. Now that we've done that a motion to adjourn is in order. So moved. Moved by counselor Hansen is there a second. Seconded by counselor carpenter any discussion hearing none all those in favor please say aye. I am opposed. We are adjourned at 536. Thank you so much everyone really appreciate it and encourage everyone to get out and make sure that your votes are counted for town meeting day. Thanks so much.