Transportation, Energy, and Utilities Committee — Burlington, VT
Date: 2026-06-23
Time: 17:30

City Council - Transportation, Energy and Utilities Committee

 Tuesday, June 23, 2026, 5:30 PM,

Join in Person: Front Conference Room, 645 Pine St. Burlington, VT 05401

Join via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/84603122855
To call into the meeting, including to speak during public comment:
Phone: 312-626-6799, Webinar ID: 846 0312 2855
1. Agenda
 1.1. Motion to adopt/amend

2. Adopt Minutes
 2.1. Minutes of 5/26/26

3. Public Forum

4. Deliberative Agenda
 4.1. BED Initiative Updates (Emission reduction, Battery storage) - 30 min
 4.2. Carbon Pollution Impact Fee Update - 20 min
 4.3. Rental Weatherization Ordinance Compliance Update - 30 min

5. Director's Report

6. Councilor Items

7. Next Meeting
 7.1. Tentative,7/28/26, 5:30PM

8. Agenda

9. Adjournment

City Council - Transportation, Energy and Utilities Committee

 Tuesday, June 23, 2026, 5:30 PM,

Join in Person: Front Conference Room, 645 Pine St. Burlington, VT 05401

Join via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/84603122855
To call into the meeting, including to speak during public comment:
Phone: 312-626-6799, Webinar ID: 846 0312 2855
1. Agenda
 1.1. Motion to adopt/amend

2. Adopt Minutes
 2.1. Minutes of 5/26/26

3. Public Forum

4. Deliberative Agenda
 4.1. BED Initiative Updates (Emission reduction, Battery storage) - 30 min
 4.2. Carbon Pollution Impact Fee Update - 20 min
 4.3. Rental Weatherization Ordinance Compliance Update - 30 min

5. Director's Report

6. Councilor Items

7. Next Meeting
 7.1. Tentative,7/28/26, 5:30PM

8. Agenda

9. Adjournment




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 CITY OF BURLINGTON, VERMONT

 CITY COUNCIL TRANSPORTATION, ENERGY &
 UTILITIES COMMITTEE
 c/o Department of Public Works 802.863.9094 VOX
 645 Pine Street, Suite A 802.863.0466 FAX
 Burlington, VT 05401 www.burlingtonvt.gov/dpw


 Councilor Mark Barlow, Chair, North District
 Inquiries:
 Councilor Gene Bergman, Ward 2
 Rob Goulding
 Councilor Becca McKnight, Ward 6 802.881-2278
 Councilor Marek Broderick, Ward 8 rgoulding@burlingtonvt.gov




 Transportation, Energy and Utilities Committee of the City Council
 Tuesday, May 26, 2026 – 5:30 PM
 --DRAFT MINUTES—
 See video for full meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uymws3oxw-k

Councilors absent: None
Councilors present: Chair Barlow, Councilor Bergman (joined via zoom at 6:45 pm),
Councilor Broderick, and Councilor McKnight
Chair Barlow calls the meeting to order at 5:33pm?
1. Agenda
Chair Barlow makes recommendation to change the order of the agenda to:
4.3 as 4.1 - Champlain Parkway – Post Construction Monitoring
4.1 as 4.2 - GMT Updates: Route 1/ Route 11 Downtown Routing
4.2 as 4.3 – Unaccepted Streets Briefing
Councilor Broderick moves to adopt the agenda as changed.
Councilor McKnight seconds.
All in favor, Unanimous approval

2. Minutes of 4/28/26
Councilor Broderick moves to adopt the minutes.
Councilor McKnight seconds.
All in favor, Unanimous approval

3. Public Forum
Cara Simone – Ward 6 – Talked about concerns about unaccepted streets – lives on
Chittenden Dr.

4. Deliberative Agenda
 4.1 Champlain Parkway – Post Construction Monitoring
Corey Mims, Senior Public Works Engineer presented information.



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Councilor McKnight asked about tracking accidents while getting used to the new road.
Chair Barlow asked questions about current data collections – have you been monitoring the
intersection at Maple St & Pine St?

AI generated minutes w/ slight staff revisions: Corey Mims from Public Works presented
the Champlain Parkway monitoring plan, which includes traffic counts at specific intersections,
signal operations monitoring using MileVision technology, and incident reporting for two years
post-construction.

 4.2 GMT Updates: Route 1/Route 11 Downtown Routing.
Clayton Clark, General Manager of GMT & Chris Damiani, Director of Planning at GMT
provided information.

Councilor Broderick asked if GMT had been to the other areas for updates? Would there be
consideration of studying what it would take to extend a route to Tilley Dr? Chair Barlow
asked if the federal funding approves like it might when would we have to make decisions
about local & state match? Will it be the hospital or a GMT function to do the study for Tilley
Dr?

AI generated minutes w/ slight staff revisions: GMT discussed funding updates, noting
that while some members may contribute additional funding, most areas are feeling stretched
financially. He explained that if the federal funding bill passes this year, local fiscal year 28
assessments would need to be sent out in November. Clay provided an update on funding,
noting positive developments with the State T bill and potential increased federal funding
through stick factors, though additional state and local match funds would still be needed to
address a $3 million funding gap. Chris then presented updates on bi-directional travel
implementation on routes 1 and 11 in Burlington, scheduled for June 29th, which will include
two new stops and improved service spacing along Main Street. He noted that any new
service expansion would require financial clarity, likely in the fall, before considering
implementation. Clarifying that GMT could only provide recommendations using their fixed
route transit due to labor contract restrictions.

 4.3 Unaccepted Streets Briefing
Philip Peterson, Senior Transportation Engineer, Calvin Wuthrich, Associate Public Works
Engineer & Laura Wheelock Assistant Director of Technical Services & City Engineer presented
information.

Councilor McKnight suggested starting with streets the city plans to accept to build trust and
momentum in the process. Feels there should be a call for submission for public documents.
Councilor Broderick curious how you would subdivide the different phases? How is it
measured to get it up to standards? Chair Barlow asked if the process will be shared before a
recommendation is made? Outsource research?

Public comment - Cara Simone made a comment about costs being absorbed over time.

AI generated minutes w/ slight staff revisions: DPW presented an overview of the
unaccepted streets project, highlighting ongoing legal reviews and plans for a deep dive into
land ownership records. Calvin Wuthrich discussed the development of a grading system for
surface conditions and a draft phasing framework to assess streets based on infrastructure
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acceptance risk. The team plans to continue land records and legal reviews, coordinate with
other utilities, and produce a phased list of streets by August. The legal complexities of
accepting streets were emphasized, with challenges in determining ownership and the
necessary research required for condemnation processes.

5. Director’s Report

Director Spencer spoke about:
 • Finishing up Spring NPA tour
 • Champlain Parkways Special Events
 • Main St Special Events – June 3rd and July 17-18

 6. Councilor Items
Councilor Broderick & Councilor McKnight– South Willard St & College St – finally have
pedestrian lights – thank you all for your work. Chair Barlow talked about meeting with
Councilor Bergman about planning future meetings for project updates for Burlington Electric
& Department of Permitting & Inspections and other meetings about Passive Home & Building
Code Standards, Efficiency Utilities, Airport & others.

 7. Next Meeting
June 23, 2026, 5:30 pm at 645 Pine St.

 8. Adjournment
Chair Barlow adjourns meeting at 6:59 pm.




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CITY OF BURLINGTON, VERMONT

 CITY COUNCIL TRANSPORTATION, ENERGY &
 UTILITIES COMMITTEE
 c/o Department of Public Works 802.863.9094 VOX
 645 Pine Street, Suite A 802.863.0466 FAX
 Burlington, VT 05401 www.burlingtonvt.gov/dpw


 Councilor Mark Barlow, Chair, North District
 Inquiries:
 Councilor Gene Bergman, Ward 2
 Rob Goulding
 Councilor Becca McKnight, Ward 6 802.881-2278
 Councilor Marek Broderick, Ward 8 rgoulding@burlingtonvt.gov




 Transportation, Energy and Utilities Committee of the City Council
 Tuesday, June 23, 2026 – 5:30 PM
 --DRAFT MINUTES—
 See video for full meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TE3UipuBW8c

Councilors absent: None
Councilors present: Chair Barlow, Councilor Bergman (joined via zoom at 6:45 pm),
Councilor Broderick, and Councilor McKnight
Chair Barlow calls the meeting to order at 5:33 pm.
1. Agenda
Councilor Bergman moves to adopt the agenda as posted on civic clerk.
Councilor Broderick seconds.
All in favor, Unanimous approval

2. Minutes of 5/26/26
Councilor Bergman moves to adopt the minutes as posted.
Councilor Broderick seconds.
All in favor, Unanimous approval

3. Public Forum
 None

4. Deliberative Agenda
 4.1 BED Initiative Updates (Emission reduction, Battery Storage)
Darren Springer, General Manager, Burlington Electric Department presented information.

Councilor Broderick asked about July battery storage and wood pyrolysis? Councilor
Bergman feels the public needs a report that say this is where we are at. Chair Barlow
wonders if we could dedicate a whole meeting to discuss where we are at with pyrolysis?
Question about the state of the pyknosis project? Councilor McKnight likes ideas being
discussed. Feels Burlington Electric Department has been doing a great job relaying
information.
AI generated minutes w/ slight staff revisions: The main discussion focused on an
update on BED initiatives presented by General Manager Darren Springer. He outlined plans
for a three-year efficiency budget (2027-2029) that would include new programs such as pre-
weatherization efforts, electric panel upgrades for income-qualified customers, continued
geothermal test well programs, and extended boosted electric vehicle incentives through 2029.
The funding for these initiatives would come from energy efficiency charges and the TEPF
thermal energy process fuel fund. BED provided updates on three energy projects. The first
involves exploring a solar canopy installation in the parking area at 585 Pine Street, which
would add approximately 130 kW of capacity alongside the existing 100 kW rooftop solar. The
second major update focused on a proposed 5-megawatt battery storage project at McNeil,
which would be located in the ash pit area and could dispatch 20 megawatt hours over a 4-
hour period. BED plans to present this proposal to the Electric Commission on July 8th and
the Board of Finance/City Council on July 13th. The third update discussed exploring wood
pyrolysis technology as a potential demonstration project, following an RFI that received
limited responses, with BED noting the need for a demonstration opportunity before
proceeding with this technology.

 4.2 Carbon Pollution Impact Fee Update
William Ward, Director of Permitting and Inspections provided information.

Councilor McKnight hears from folks who are trying to make improvements that it is
challenging for them. Chair Barlow – clarify that you have not collected and Carbon Impact
fees?

AI generated minutes w/ slight staff revisions: Director Ward presented an update on
building energy standards and carbon impact fees, reporting that 74 permits were issued for
new units in 2024, though 90% were actually additions to existing homes rather than new
construction. He identified that only 4% of new construction projects used heat pump
technology, and highlighted specific compliant projects including geothermal installations at
Integrated Arts Academy and Monte Christi. The department plans to implement monthly
reporting on compliance through John Ryan and Kim Ianelli's team, with DPI working with
Darren from BED and Katherine Schad from the CTs office to establish where the carbon
impact fees will be processed and budgeted. DPI recommended that constituents with
concerns about compliance requirements should reach out to Darren's Energy Services team
for assistance.

 4.3 Rental Weatherization Ordinance Compliance Update
William Ward, Director of Permitting and Inspections presented information.

Councilor Bergman asked how many buildings are using 50,000 BTUs or more. Chair
Barlow asked about the workforce development in weatherization trades.

AI generated minutes w/ slight staff revisions: The meeting focused on rental housing
weatherization compliance, with DPI reporting on enforcement progress and challenges. There
are currently 503 rental properties using 50,000 BTUs or more, with 131 properties identified
as top priorities for compliance action. The team discussed ongoing delays in weatherization
work due to limited staffing and outdated BTU usage data, with Vermont Gas now requiring
fees for energy audits beyond single-family homes. The committee unanimously agreed to
participate in a statewide public transit funding advocacy campaign led by 350 Vermont. The
discussion also covered the weatherization ordinance, noting that while 83% of rental units are
now in compliance, only about 10% progress has been made since the ordinance began. A
specific case was mentioned involving a property with failed inspections and significant fees,
which resulted in an appeal to the Housing Board of Review.

5. Director’s Report

 None

 6. Councilor Items

Chair Barlow - Working list – Mass Transit, GMT Funding – possible symposium?
Councilor Bergman – 350 Vermont Transportation Group – possibly join?

Councilor Bergman made a motion to have the TEUC participate in this effort that was
communicated to us by the transportation group of 350 Vermont.
Councilor McKnight seconds.
All in favor, Unanimous approval

Councilor Broderick - Solid Waste/ Recycling - add to the working list.
Councilor McKnight – Open Space Plan – add to the working list.

 7. Next Meeting
July 28, 2026, 5:30 pm at 645 Pine St.

 8. Adjournment
Chair Barlow adjourns meeting at 7:39 pm.