Tax Abatement Committee — Burlington, VT
Date: 2025-03-13
Time: 12:00

City Council - Tax Abatement Committee



Thursday, March 13, 2025, 12:00 PM, Champlain Conference Room, City Hall, 3rd Floor




1. Agenda
  Subject 1.1. Motion to amend/adopt agenda
  Meeting March 13, 2025 - Tax Abatement Committee Hearing - Thursday, March 13, 2025,
 12:00 PM, Champlain Conference Room, City Hall, 3rd Floor
  Category 1. Agenda
  Department


  Type

  Subject 1.2. Approve and Adopt Minutes from January 7, 2025 Hearing


  Meeting March 13, 2025 - Tax Abatement Committee Hearing - Thursday, March 13, 2025,
 12:00 PM, Champlain Conference Room, City Hall, 3rd Floor


  Category 1. Agenda

  Department Assessor's Office


  Type

  Recommended Action

2. Public Forum
  Subject 2.3. PUBLIC FORUM - Verbal Comments
  Meeting March 13, 2025 - Tax Abatement Committee Hearing - Thursday, March 13, 2025,
 12:00 PM, Champlain Conference Room, City Hall, 3rd Floor
  Category 2. Public Forum
  Department
  Type

3. Organization Discussion Overview
  Subject 3.4. Hearing Petitioners in order of arrival.

 Petitioners:

 • 24 Grant Street LLC, 24 Grant Street; PID# 044-4-060-000
 • Golden Junk LLC, 310-320 North Winooski Avenue; PID# 040-2-140-
 000
 • Spectrum Youth & Family Services Inc, 84 Pine Street Unit 4; PID# 049-
 1-125-004




  Meeting March 13, 2025 - Tax Abatement Committee Hearing - Thursday, March 13, 2025,
 12:00 PM, Champlain Conference Room, City Hall, 3rd Floor


  Category 3. Organization Discussion Overview

  Department Assessor's Office


  Type

  Recommended Action

4. Adjournment
  Subject 4.5. Motion to Adjourn
  Meeting March 13, 2025 - Tax Abatement Committee Hearing - Thursday, March 13, 2025,
 12:00 PM, Champlain Conference Room, City Hall, 3rd Floor


  Category 4. Adjournment

  Department Innovation & Technology


  Type

  Recommended Action

City Council - Tax Abatement Committee



Thursday, March 13, 2025, 12:00 PM, Champlain Conference Room, City Hall, 3rd Floor




1. Agenda
  Subject 1.1. Motion to amend/adopt agenda
  Meeting March 13, 2025 - Tax Abatement Committee Hearing - Thursday, March 13, 2025,
 12:00 PM, Champlain Conference Room, City Hall, 3rd Floor
  Category 1. Agenda
  Department


  Type

  Subject 1.2. Approve and Adopt Minutes from January 7, 2025 Hearing


  Meeting March 13, 2025 - Tax Abatement Committee Hearing - Thursday, March 13, 2025,
 12:00 PM, Champlain Conference Room, City Hall, 3rd Floor


  Category 1. Agenda

  Department Assessor's Office


  Type

  Recommended Action

2. Public Forum
  Subject 2.3. PUBLIC FORUM - Verbal Comments
  Meeting March 13, 2025 - Tax Abatement Committee Hearing - Thursday, March 13, 2025,
 12:00 PM, Champlain Conference Room, City Hall, 3rd Floor
  Category 2. Public Forum
  Department




 Page 1 of 100
  Type

3. Organization Discussion Overview
  Subject 3.4. Hearing Petitioners in order of arrival.

 Petitioners:

 • 24 Grant Street LLC, 24 Grant Street; PID# 044-4-060-000
 • Golden Junk LLC, 310-320 North Winooski Avenue; PID# 040-2-140-
 000
 • Spectrum Youth & Family Services Inc, 84 Pine Street Unit 4; PID# 049-
 1-125-004




  Meeting March 13, 2025 - Tax Abatement Committee Hearing - Thursday, March 13, 2025,
 12:00 PM, Champlain Conference Room, City Hall, 3rd Floor


  Category 3. Organization Discussion Overview

  Department Assessor's Office


  Type

  Recommended Action

4. Adjournment
  Subject 4.5. Motion to Adjourn
  Meeting March 13, 2025 - Tax Abatement Committee Hearing - Thursday, March 13, 2025,
 12:00 PM, Champlain Conference Room, City Hall, 3rd Floor


  Category 4. Adjournment

  Department Innovation & Technology


  Type

  Recommended Action




 Page 2 of 100
 Tax Abatement Committee
 Tuesday, January, 7, 2024, 4:30 p.m.
 Sharon Bushor Conference Rm

 Minutes of the Hearing



Committee Members: Councilors Sarah Carpenter (SC) Chair; Joan Shannon (JS);
Joe Kane (JK)

Others Present: Erik Ramakrishnan (ER), City Attorney’s Office; Joseph Turner (JT),
City Assessor; Kenneth Nosek (KN), Committee Administrator-City Assessor’s
Office; Traci Isham (TI); Maja Kazimieruk MK; Alicia Araje-Van Dyk (French
Interpreter assisting translation for Ms. Okuka).
Petitioner’s Present: Alice Okuka; William Miller
Petitioner’s Absent: Stephanie Seguino
At 4:33 p.m. Chair Sarah Carpenter commenced the hearing.

Introductions made of Committee and Staff members for committee.

Agenda:
Motion to adopt by JS
Second by JK passed
Unanimous
Minutes from last meeting adopted

Public Comment:
No one here today to speak on public forum

Hearings:
SC speaks to reasons for abatement of taxes in Burlington.


Alice Okuka, 105 Fairmont Place, 024-2-200-105
Petitioner sworn in by ER
Additional evidence submitted to packet by Ms. Okuka.
Alicia Araje-Van Dyk interpreted in French
Petitioner presented request.

Hearing for Okuka closed at 5:22 p.m. at this point JS asked if it was okay not to
go into private deliberative session.
Deliberative Session PUBLIC started at 5:23 p.m.

Motion to grant made by JS
Seconded by JK
Unanimous vote




 Page 3 of 100
Ohavi Zedek, 472 North Street, 045-1-119-000
Representing is William Miller
Petitioner sworn in by ER
Petitioner presented request.

Hearing for Ohavi Zedek closed at 5:53 p.m.

Motion to deny made by JS
Seconded by JK
Dissent by SC – would like to abate the municipal portion of the tax.


Seguino_865 S. Prospect St_058-3-016-000
Petitioner not present but granted permission for this hearing to be conducted on
the basis of the written testimony. Petitioner is out of the country and did not opt
for a phone or virtual digital hearing.


Hearing for Seguino started 5:54 p.m.
Hearing closed at 5:56 p.m.

.
Motion to deny made by JS
Seconded by JK

Hearing process for all petitions adjourned at 5:57 p.m
Deliberative private session started at 5:57 p.m.




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Tax Abatement Committee
 Thursday, March 13, 2025, 12:00 p.m.
 Champlain Conference Rm

 Minutes of the Hearing

*Note: due to internet connectivity issues (no internet signal and no working ports
in room inside of the Champlain Conference Room) the committee had no use of
online video recording or digital presence for attendance this meeting. Therefore,
phone was used to support the attorney and one of the committee members to be
in attendance.

Audio recording of the minutes can be heard by contacting the office of the
Assessor.

Committee Members Present: Councilors Sarah Carpenter (SC) Chair; Joe Kane
(JK)

Others Present: City Attorney’s Office; Joseph Turner (JT), City Assessor; Kenneth
Nosek (KN), Committee Administrator-City Assessor’s Office; Traci Isham (TI);
Maja Kazimieruk (MK).

Phoned in Present: Erik Ramakrishnan (ER), Joan Shannon (JS) for the hearing
committee.

Petitioner’s Present: Filipp Lagun for 24 Grant Street LLC; Will Towne COO for
Spectrum.

Petitioner’s Absent: Jeffrey Sonin for GoldenJunk LLC

At 12:17 p.m. Chair Sarah Carpenter commenced the hearing.

Introductions made of Committee and Staff members for committee.

Agenda:
Motion to adopt by JK
Second by JS passed
Unanimous
Minutes from last meeting adopted JK motion and JS second

Public Comment:
No one here today to speak on public forum

Hearings:
SC speaks to reasons for abatement of taxes in Burlington.
Will Towne and Filipp Lagun swore in by ER
24 Grant Street LLC, 6 Beachcrest Drive, 044-4-060-000
Representing is Filipp Lagun
Petitioner presented request.

Mr. Lagun asking for abatement prorated on improvements portion NOT on the land
value. Fire destroyed one of two apartment buildings.
Historic site per COB Zoning – therefore, at least 3 month timeline before get
permitting. At least one year construction timeline.
Petitioner asks for abatement under the reason of manifestly unjust.

Hearing for 24 Grant Street LLC closed at 12:41 p.m.

Motion to abate recommended amount of $9,000
Unanimous vote


GoldenJunk LLC, 310-312 North Winooski Avenue, 040-2-140-000
Petitioner was absent.

Hearing for GoldenJunk LLC started 12:58 p.m.

On Jan 16, 2024 Abatement for FY 2024 was $2,635.71.
Remediation of browns field components by State of VT has not been completed as
thought it would be by summer of 2024. Utility of building is in question.
Delays out of taxpayers control thus manifestly unjust.
JT has not revisited this property since being The City of Burlington Assessor.

Hearing closed at 1:16 p.m.


Motion to abate approximately 24.8% of the taxes in amount of $723.42 which
represents the full 20% commercial and the building value tax value

All were in favor and passed vote to recommend.


Spectrum Youth & Family Services Inc., 84 Pine Street, Unit 4,
049-1-125-004
Representing is Will Towne, COO

Hearing for Spectrum Youth & Family Services Inc. started 12:43 p.m.

Mr. Towne spoke about the mission of the program and history of purchase of 84
Pine St, Unit 4 purchased October 2024.
EK asks if goal is to abate for FY25 since April 1st exemption request by PVR-137 is
application process. SC says as of April 1 2024 Grand List listed this for Commercial
purposes. VT does not have automatic exemptions for 501C3. EK asks if 100% of
property being used for social service. Mr. Towne says yes. JS introduces the
synagogue issue from most previous hearing in January. JS says if we are abating
taxes there is a large portion of education tax that the city will have to pay. JK is
concerned with non-profit using non-profits money to buy property and then
impose on the municipality to finance their purchasing through the abatement
process. SC is also not in support of abating the education tax already paid to the
State of Vermont.


Motion to deny without prejudice by JS and JK is a second to that motion.
Unanimous.

Meeting closed at 2:09 p.m.
Committee went into public deliberative at 1:17 p.m.

Hearing closed at 12:55 p.m.