Update Regarding August 27 City Council Agenda
Neighbors -
I hope you are enjoying the last days of summer — it’s hard to believe school starts next week!
The City has been working hard on many fronts this summer and three significant items are coming to the City Council Monday night. I am writing to make sure you are clear about what to expect with each issue:
* Preventing Wastewater/Stormwater Discharges — The unplanned discharges of combined stormwater/wastewater flow this summer have been very frustrating to the Water Resources Team and me. Since June, we have been accelerating and detailing our existing plans to make substantial investments in our aging water infrastructure. Most of the wastewater system has seen little to no proactive investment for 25 years or more. During Monday’s work session, we will have our first extended discussion with the City Council about these plans. While no decisions will be made Monday, depending on that session’s feedback, we may move forward in September to add a wastewater/stormwater revenue bond on the November ballot (funded from fees paid by all water users, not property taxes). I look forward to talking with you much more about this issue in the weeks ahead.
* CityPlace Burlington — We are considering action on a side-letter (amendment) agreement with the developers of CityPlace Burlington that would clarify or modify three elements of our Development Agreement to update the agreement to be consistent with the project’s current status. Monday night, we will have our second executive session with the City Council to discuss this letter, and it is possible that the Council will then deliberate and act on the letter. The letter, a memo from me, and other supporting materials can be found here: http://www.boarddocs.com/vt/burlingtonvt/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=B3Y3KG073E74
* Burlington High School bond — I am excited that, after years of discussions, an effort to improve our high school is advancing. For a long time, I have been convinced that we need to make significant, new investments in our high school. We must act soon to keep our high school, our public school system and, ultimately, the community strong. We also need to ensure that the proposed plan is a good one that will steward our precious public resources wisely. To these ends, I have asked the Burlington School District (BSD) leadership to address a number of questions before the City Council and I act to put the bond on the ballot. The BSD will be presenting their plan to the Council Monday night, but no Council action on the proposed bond will be taken earlier than September 11. You can read my letter detailing these questions here: https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/sites/default/files/8-21-18%20Letter%20to%20Superintendent%20Obeng%20and%20Chair%20Wool.pdf
Thank you.
Warmly,
Miro