The Burlington, Vermont City Council held its July meeting at the temporary home of the Burlington High School, where councilors heard an update on construction of a new school and took up other city business.
The Burlington High School has been leasing space for three-and-a-half years in a former department store in the downtown while a new school is constructed after the former facility was condemned due to PCB contamination.
The city council held a work session with the School Board Superintendent Tom Flanagan, who reported that construction of the new high school is on time and on budget for an August 2026 opening.
“We are psyched about that and you can see the steel going up,” Flanagan said. “I have the opportunity to drive by it every day as many of you also do and see it on your travels to the city. Later in the summer we’ll start to see some exterior walls going up. You’re already starting to see some exterior walls. So we’re really excited about what’s happening there at the High School.”
The council later considered approval of the mayor’s appointment of a new city attorney. The permanent position has been vacant for about two years. Progressive Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak had appointed Jessica Brown to the position pending council approval.
“Jessica has a 20 year impressive legal career,” Mulvaney-Stanak noted. “Those who know Jessica describe her as collaborative and a creative leader and with a deep commitment to equity and justice.”
Brown currently lives with her husband in Waterbury and she addressed some councilors questions regarding her ability to focus on Burlington issues when she’s not a resident.
“It’s not impossible that we would ever move to Burlington but it would be extremely difficult for us financially to afford to relocate to Burlington in the time that the city charter requires,” Brown said. “I know that the mayor will be asking for a hardship waiver on my behalf. I want people to know that I worked here for 8 years and because of the work that I did here I’m extremely familiar with all of the issues that have come up around community safety.”
The city council unanimously approved Brown’s appointment. She will be the first Black woman in the role when she starts on August 19th.
The city council spent more than an hour considering a charter change regarding police oversight. As discussion began Ward 5 Democrat and Council President Ben Traverse said there had been some confusion over the resolution and clarified what the council was considering.
“The question ultimately before the council will be whether or not to waive the reading and adopt the resolution and what that then would do is to warn this proposed charter change for a ballot question in November,” explained Traverse. “Between now and then though we will be required to hold two public hearings. We’ve proposed that those public hearings would take place on August 15th and on August 22nd. My understanding is that after we take the vote tonight there will not necessarily have to be any further action by the council in order for this to appear on the ballot in November.”
Ward 2 Progressive Gene Bergman outlined changes which include more authority and oversight from the Police Commission.
“This proposal does not go as far as I would have liked but it does increase community oversight in ways I believe our community expects and wants,” Bergman said. “It does so in a way that respects the contractual and due process rights of members of the police department. It is fair. I hope this council will agree and vote to put it on the ballot as is and warn it for the required public hearings.”
An amendment was proposed to have the Ordinance Committee determine the composition of an independent oversight panel, rather than amending the charter. North District Independent Mark Barlow supported the amendment.
“What I like about putting it into ordinance, as has been suggested in the amendment, is it allows us still to meet the timeline that we had promised to the voters to try to get it on the ballot in November, which I am committed to doing,” Barlow said. “So this buys us more time and allows us to get this on the ballot in time.”
Councilors unanimously approved the amended resolution to alert voters that the charter change will be on the November ballot and begin the public hearing process.
The council postponed until their August meeting discussion of a memo from Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak regarding the city’s health and safety response to encampments.
