City Council - Charter Change Committee — Burlington, VT
Date: 2024-05-01
Time: 10:00

Wednesday, May 1, 2024, 10:00 AM, Bushor Conference Room 1st Floor, City Hall OR
 REMOTELY via ZOOM

When: May 1, 2024 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Charter Change Committee Meeting

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1. Agenda
  Subject 1.1. Motion to amend/adopt agenda
  Meeting May 1, 2024 - Charter Change Committee Meeting - Wednesday, May 1, 2024, 10:00
 AM, Bushor Conference Room 1st Floor, City Hall OR REMOTELY via ZOOM


  Category 1. Agenda

  Department


  Type

  Recommended Action
2. Public Forum
  Subject 2.1. Verbal Comments
  Meeting May 1, 2024 - Charter Change Committee Meeting - Wednesday, May 1, 2024, 10:00
 AM, Bushor Conference Room 1st Floor, City Hall OR REMOTELY via ZOOM
  Category 2. Public Forum
  Department Council and Board


  Type

3. Discussion of Upcoming Potential Charter Changes
  Subject 3.1. Discussion of Upcoming Potential Charter Changes
  Meeting May 1, 2024 - Charter Change Committee Meeting - Wednesday, May 1, 2024, 10:00
 AM, Bushor Conference Room 1st Floor, City Hall OR REMOTELY via ZOOM


  Category 3. Discussion of Upcoming Potential Charter Changes

  Department Council and Board


  Type

  Recommended Action

4. Discussion of Next Meeting and Schedule
  Subject 4.1. Discussion of Next Meeting and Schedule
  Meeting May 1, 2024 - Charter Change Committee Meeting - Wednesday, May 1, 2024, 10:00
 AM, Bushor Conference Room 1st Floor, City Hall OR REMOTELY via ZOOM


  Category 4. Discussion of Next Meeting and Schedule

  Department Council and Board


  Type

  Recommended Action

5. Adjournment
  Subject 5.1. Motion to adjourn
  Meeting May 1, 2024 - Charter Change Committee Meeting - Wednesday, May 1, 2024, 10:00
 AM, Bushor Conference Room 1st Floor, City Hall OR REMOTELY via ZOOM


  Category 5. Adjournment

  Department Council and Board


  Type

  Recommended Action

CHARTER CHANGE COMMITTEE
 Wednesday, May 1, 2024 at 10:00AM
 Via Zoom (Remote)
 DRAFT MINUTES
Members Present: Councilor Bergman (Chair), Councilor Carpenter
Staff Present: Kim Sturtevant (Acting City Attorney)
Others in Attendance: None


Meeting called to order at 10:03 AM.


1.0 Agenda
 1.01 Motion to amend agenda
  Motion by Councilor Carpenter, Seconded by Councilor Bergman
  Final Resolution: Motion Passes
  Yes: Unanimous

2.0 Public Forum
No members of the public present.

3.0 Discussion of Potential Upcoming Charter Changes

Councilor Bergman said the Committee has received comments from the Police Commission
regarding police oversight charter changes and their memo will be on the list. A second issue from
two years ago is councilor compensation. He think we should start with the framework for police
oversight changes.

Councilor Carpenter said the previous Joint Committee ended its work after having a discussion
with the Burlington Police Officers’ Association (BPOA). She said the Committee still needs to
parse out what language should be in charter versus ordinance or directives.

Councilor Bergman said the next conversation should be with the Police Commission and with the
BPOA. The Committee should take testimony and only ask clarifying questions so we have every
viewpoint before we move onto drafting the ordinance. Councilor Bergman thinks this shouldn’t
be part of a joint committee, but the members of the previous joint committee should be invited.
The Attorney’s Office should review the Commission’s memo to ensure this Committee has all
the necessary documents and policies that commissioners might have asked for.

Councilor Bergman then moved on to Councilor compensation. This includes the question of pay
as well as childcare and healthcare compensation.

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Councilor Carpenter said another issue would be administrative support for the Council. It has
been brought up many times.

Councilor Bergman added that this is all related to improving the ability of the Council to recruit
a diverse range of people.

Councilor Carpenter asked that if the current method of having an exact number for Councilor
compensation put into charter is necessary.

Councilor Bergman said that research into comparable pay structures would likely have to stretch
beyond Vermont because the rest of the state’s towns are so small. He requested that the City
Attorney’s Office discuss this with the Chief Administrative Officer to see what kind of support
can be provided for the Council. He would like to have a report or preliminary findings about
what can be done along with analysis of comparable municipalities.

4.0 Discussion of Next Meeting and Schedule

Councilor Bergman wants to avoid having a special election for charter changes unless absolutely
necessary, so the Committee need to complete its work before the December deadline for the next
Town Meeting Day.

Next meetings are set for June 12 at 5-7PM and June 18 at 5-7PM.

5.0 Adjournment
Motion to Adjourn.
Motion by Councilor Carpenter, Seconded by Councilor Bergman.
Final Resolution: Motion Passes
Yes: Unanimous

The meeting was adjourned at 10:50 AM.




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