Transportation, Energy, and Utilities Committee

City Council - Transportation, Energy and Utilities Committee Tuesday, June 24, 2025, 12:00 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 5/27/25 3. McNeil Emissions Reduction & Forestry Studies Input Session - 45 min 4. Public Forum 4.1. Public Comments 5. Deliberative Agenda 5.1. FY 26 Fleet Purchases - 15 min 5.2. Water Resources Affordability Ordinance Changes - 30 min 5.3. Winooski River Trail Bridge Abutment Erosion - 15 min 5.4. Unaccepted Streets Next Steps - 5 min 5.5. GMT Proposed Fare Policy on Route 11 - 5 min 6. Director's Report Champlain Parkway Southbound Opening 7. Councilor Items 8. Next Meeting 8.1. Tentative - 7/22/25, time TBD 9. Adjournment Page 1 of 24  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 Post Office Box 849 802.863.0450 TTY Burlington, VT 05402-0849 www.burlingtonvt.gov Councilor Mark Barlow, Chair, North District Inquiries: Councilor Gene Bergman, Ward 2 Rob Goulding Councilor Evan Litwin, Ward 7 802.881-2278 Councilor Marek Broderick, Ward 8 rgoulding@burlingtonvt.gov Transportation, Energy and Utilities Committee of the City Council Tuesday, May 27, 2025 – 12:00PM --DRAFT MINUTES— See video for full meeting: https://www.cctv.org/watch-tv/programs/burlington-transportation-energy- and-utilities-committee-46 Councilors absent: Councilor Bergman Councilors Present: Chair Barlow, Councilor Broderick Councilor McKnight Chair Barlow calls meeting to order at 12:07 PM 1. Agenda Councilor Broderick moves to approve the agenda as posted. Councilor McKnight seconds. All in favor, Unanimous approval. 2. Minutes of 4/22/25 Councilor McKnight moves to adopt the minutes as presented. Councilor Broderick seconds. All in favor. Unanimous approval. 3. Public Forum: Zoom: Sharon Bushor 4. Deliberative Agenda 4.1 GMT Service Changes Information only. 4.2 PlanBTV Walk Bike Action Plan Commissioner Broderick moves that the TEUC approves and recommends that the City Council approves the planBTV Walk Bike Safety Action Plan. Councilor McKnight Seconded. All in favor. Unanimous Approval. 4.3 New North End Sidewalk Scoping Study Page 2 of 24  Chair Barlow moves that the TEUC approves and recommends that the City Council approves the recommended preferred alternatives, the New North End sidewalk Scoping Study in attachment. Councilor McKnight Seconded. All in favor. Unanimous Approval 4.4 Ledgewood Circle Street Acceptance Councilor McKnight moves that the TEUC recommend full acceptance of a portion of the street known as Ledgewood Circle (Exhibit - D), from the current ownership group Ledgewood 1 Condominium Board, to Board of Finance and City Council subject to final review and approval by the City Attorney's Office. Councilor Broderick seconds. All in Favor. Unanimous Approval. 4.5 ParkMobile User Fee Policy Change Information only. . 5. Director’s Report Information Only 6. Councilor Items Information Only 7. Next Meeting June 24, 2025 at 645 Pine St - time to be determined. 8. Adjournment Chair Barlow adjourns meeting at 2:50 pm. Page 3 of 24  City of Burlington Fleet Committee 645 Pine Street Burlington, VT 05402 802.863.9094 Date: June 24, 2025 To: Transportation Energy and Utilities Committee From: Fleet Committee Chapin Spencer, Director, Public Works Katherine Schad, Chief Administrative Officer, Clerk/Treasurer’s Office Cindi Wight, Director, Parks, Recreation & Waterfront Michael Curtin, Battalion Chief, Burlington Fire Department Deryk Roach, Parks Maint. & Operations Superintendent, Parks, Rec. & Waterfront Lee Perry, Division Director – Maintenance Division, Public Works Ashley Parker, Capital Program Director, Clerk/Treasurer’s Office Shannon Trammell, Executive Manager, Burlington Police Department Subject: FY26 Vehicle Purchase Recommendation REQUEST: The Fleet Committee requests the Transportation, Energy, and Utilities Committee (TEUC), recommend the Board of Finance and City Council approve the proposed FY’26 vehicle purchase and replacement list. BACKGROUND: Annually, the City’s interdepartmental Fleet committee, staffed by the Department of Public Works (DPW) Fleet Manager Dave Hammond, coordinates fleet purchases for the General Fund (GF) and several enterprise/special revenue funds in order to realize cost savings and provide management oversight. Per the City of Burlington Fleet Policy, the Fleet Manager and the Maintenance Division Director meet with each Department head, or their designee, to review their annual recommended Fleet replacements and receive input on upcoming vehicle/equipment needs. With that information, the Fleet Manager researched electric and hybrid options for each item, calculated the carbon pricing on fossil fuel options, and made a recommendation to the Fleet Committee at the Fleet Committee’s quarterly meeting on June 18, 2025, where the list was discussed and reviewed further. The Committee then recommended the lists below for vehicles to purchase, sell or trade and now seeks approval by the TEUC, Board of Finance and City Council. The Fleet Committee is recommending (17) vehicles/pieces of equipment be replaced in FY26. The vehicles/equipment to be replaced and purchased are for enterprise/special revenue and GF departments. Thanks to voters on Town Meeting Day 2025, there is $3M available from the $20M General Obligation (GO) bond for the purchase of GF vehicles in FY26. Other FY26 General Fund vehicle purchases are being recommended as other funding sources have been confirmed and recommended by the Director of Page 4 of 24 Finance. All purchases recommended for enterprise/special revenue departments will be funded by their own revenue streams. The recommended purchase list has been reviewed by the Fleet Committee and Burlington Electric Department (BED) for additional recommendations. There will be one electric vehicle (EV) purchased in FY26 and the replacement of one internal combustion engine with an EV from another department. The vehicle replacing the internal EV purchase will be a hybrid. In total there will be four hybrids purchased in FY26. BED had no other recommendations for electric or hybrid vehicles on the FY26 vehicle/equipment purchase list. The Fleet Committee has worked hard to balance three key policy goals: 1) the City’s 2030 Net Zero energy goal, 2) the City’s operations and safety goal to replace as much of the fleet that is at end of life as possible, and 3) manage the fleet in the most cost effective manner possible. (See Attachment A for vehicle replacement list). RECOMMENDED FY26 FLEET PURCHASES: Until the recent voter-approved $20M GO bond on Town Meeting Day in March 2025, General Fund Fleet purchases have been deferred over the past few fiscal years due to insufficient revenues being available to purchase new vehicles. The new GO bond will allocate up to $3M for General Fund fleet vehicle purchases beginning in FY26. The Fleet Manager has established a list of vehicle/equipment to be purchased utilizing the bond proceeds from the deferred vehicle/equipment list based on a condition/cost assessment and departmental needs. While this process will allow Fleet to replace some vehicles from the deferred list, staff are continuing to work on a long-term strategy to fund FY27 and future City General Fund vehicle/equipment replacement needs. This will likely resemble the creation of an Internal Service Fund for Fleet specifically. The Fleet Manager has compiled and is proposing a list of seven (7) vehicles to purchase for the General Fund with GO bond proceeds (Series 2025B). This list currently includes: an ambulance, ladder truck, three (3) dump trucks with plow, salter, or sander attachments, commercial mower, and sidewalk tractor. The current list uses most, but not all of the available GO bond funding, requiring the Fleet Manager and Fleet Committee to continue efforts to build a more sustainable, ongoing funding source for GF fleet needs. In addition, General Fund fleet gains (revenue from the sale of the City’s used vehicles) can support replacement of three police cruisers, two of which were previously totaled and never replaced due to lack of funding. There are four (4) vehicles recommended for purchase for departments and divisions categorized as enterprise/special revenue funds. This includes a service truck for Wastewater (Water Resources); a Ford Lightning for Traffic, a pickup with a plow for Traffic, and a vehicle replacement for Parks as they transfer their existing Chevy Bolt to Parking Services. These purchases/replacements will be funded by revenues brought in by these departments/divisions and have been incorporated into these Department’s FY26 budgets t. (See Attachment B for Fleet Funding History) DEFERRED GF FLEET VEHICLES: Page 5 of 24 As noted previously, replacement of GF fleet vehicles and equipment was deferred in FY24 and FY25. The deferred list currently has 85 vehicles/equipment from various GF departments totaling about $5,245,838. Of the 85 vehicles, 16 are in urgent need of replacement, and 7 of those are included in the FY26 fleet purchasing list. There are a few items on the overall deferred list that can be deferred for a number of years because they are limited use, have limited wear, and are not expensive to maintain. As we consider the growing age and number of deferred vehicles in our fleet, the need to maintain and repair the vehicles/equipment becomes a factor. The priority of our Fleet Maintenance team has shifted from a preventative maintenance program with intermittent repairs, to a more responsive maintenance program performing more repairs than preventative maintenance. The national average for preventative maintenance to repairs is ~70%, meaning 70% of Fleet Technicians time should be spent performing preventative maintenance (i.e. lube, oil, filter changes, brakes, and other levels of services). Comparatively DPW Fleet Technicians are currently spending 48% of their time performing preventative maintenance and currently have 150 assets that are overdue on their scheduled maintenance service. Our current staff of 7 Fleet Technicians is trying to keep up with preventative maintenance and repairs. Fleet Maintenance has also outsourced larger repairs, or repairs that we do not have the bandwidth to complete in-house, by utilizing our Contractual Vehicle Repair budget. As our fleet continues to age, with no sustainable replacement funding, costs for these repairs will continue to increase. (See attachment C urgent need deferred list) CITY’S NETZERO BY 2030 GOAL – FEET UPDATE: The Fleet Manager and the Fleet Committee have worked to advance the electrification of the City’s fleet where possible. This is based on the needs of the department, whether the EV technology can support those needs, as well as the consideration of whether the EV can provide safe and efficient service to the City’s residents. All new proposed fleet purchases will continue to be reviewed for potential EV replacement. (See attachment D Fleet electrification progression) SUGGESTED MOTION: To approve and recommend the Board of Finance and City Council approve the proposed FY’26 Fleet Purchasing List and authorize DPW Fleet Maintenance to auction the FY’26 replaced vehicles/equipment through various online public auctions, or trade into vendor where vehicle/equipment is being purchased. If there is no public interest, or the vehicle is of no value to the vendor, Fleet Maintenance will have the vehicle/equipment, hauled away for scrap at the current market price. Page 6 of 24 ATTACHMENT A: Vehicle Replacement Lists: FY’26 Fleet Purchase Replacement List (GO Bond 2025B) Vehicle Life Span- Replacement Order Year Estimated Receipt Year Cost Of Vehicle Purchased Ladder Truck 12 Year, 2011 $1,600,000 FY26 36 Months Medium Duty Dump/Plow 12 Year, 2002 $120,000 FY26 12 Months Truck (Parks) Medium Duty Dump/Plow 12 Year, 2010 $152,000 FY26 12 Months Truck, With Wing & Salter (Street Maintenance) Heavy Duty Plow Truck 12 Year, 2012 $238,000 FY26 24 Months (Street Maintenance) Sidewalk Tractor (Street 8 Year, 2011 $180,000 FY26 6-12 Months Maintenance) Jacobsen Mower (Parks) 8 Year, 2016 $130,000.00 FY26 3 Months Ambulance 10 Year, 2016 $420,000.00 FY26 36 Months Total Cost: $2,840,000.00 FY’26 Fleet Purchase Replacement List, (Non GO Bond 2025B) GF, Revenue/Special Revenue Departments. Police Cruiser 5 Year, 2015 $70,000 FY26 12 Months Police Cruiser 5 Year, 2017 $70,000 FY26 12 Months Police Cruiser 5 Year, 2018 $70,000 FY26 12 Months Ambulance 10 Year, 2014 $420,000 FY26 24 Months Z Turn Mower (Parks) 10 Year, 2014 $15,000 FY26 3 Months Ford Maverick (Parks) 10 Year, 2020 $33,000 FY26 6 Months 1 Ton Service Truck 10 Year, 2015 $107,000 FY26 12 Months (Wastewater) Ford Lightning 10 Year, 2008 $47,500 FY26 6 Months (Traffic) ¾ Ton Crew Cab 10 Year, 2010 $68,000 FY26 6 Months Pickup With Salter & Plow (Traffic) *Chevy Bolt (Traffic) 7 Year, 2018 $16,000 FY26 6 Months Total Cost: $917,500 *Traffic purchasing Chevy Bolt from Parks, not a new purchase. Will move to Traffic when Parks receives the Ford Maverick. Page 7 of 24 ATTACHMENT B: Fleet Funding History: Below is a brief timeline of how funding was supported for the City’s fleet, and how it has changed over time. It provides the framework for understanding how the past has shaped the present and may provide guidance for helping us determine a ne strategy focused on long-term sustainability.  FY12-FY15: Moratorium on the purchase of new vehicles due to the City’s financial challenges.  FY16: The City began to purchase new vehicles again – this time utilizing FY17 a master lease. At this time, and informal fleet team started creating a list of vehicles needed each year to help the City forecast needs over time.  FY17: The sustainable infrastructure bond, approved by voters in November 2016, replaced 3 fire trucks for $3.3 million.  FY17-FY18: The fleet team began creating a spreadsheet to track sustainable investment in fleet. The strategy of using master leases was working, but projections were showing financial challenges for fleet funding in out years due to increased debt payments.  FY18: The City contracted with a fleet consultant to review how fleet was structured and recommended improvements. This resulted in a new Fleet Policy, the Fleet Committee, and a spreadsheet of needs from the consultant.  October 24, 2019: The Fleet Policy was approved by the city Council.  FY20: The Fleet Team estimated that the sustainable fleet replacement need was approximately $2,700,000/year. Up to this point, fleet funding had been by department. As part of the Fleet Committee and Fleet Policy development, all fleet related resources were pooled across departments into one location in order to create efficiencies in purchasing and revenues.  FY20-FY22: It appears due to staff transitions and focus on the pandemic that during this time staff lost track of the strategic focus on need for General Fund money for lease payments.  FY23: The Fleet Team requested the use of $715,000 of General Fund monies to support lease payments in FY23, as we were reaching the end of the Fleet reserve funds. At that time, the Fleet Team communicated that lease payments in FY24 & FY25 were going to require the same significant General Fund support.  FY24: Freeze on the purchase of new vehicles for General Fund departments and a focus on the funding of FY24 General Fund lease payments. The City funded an electrification and revenue generating study done by consultant Move EV.  FY25: Freeze on the purchase of new vehicles for General Jund Departments and a fucus on the funding of FY25 General Fund lease payments.  FY26: Voter approval in March of the $20 Million General Obligation bond enabled the Fleet Team to use $3 Million for General Fund Fleet purchases. Page 8 of 24 ATTACHMENT C: Vehicle Urgent Need List: Vehicle Urgent Need List FY26 Vehicle Department Year Make Model Replacement Cost P08 Police 2018 Ford Explorer $70,000 P11 Police 2017 Ford Explorer $70,000 P13 Police 2017 Ford Explorer $70,000 P14 Police 2018 Ford Explorer $70,000 P17 Police 2018 Ford Explorer $70,000 S24 DPW Streets 2017 Trackless MT-6 $180,000 S75 DPW Streets 2008 International 7500 Work Star $238,000 S77 DPW Streets 2016 International 7400 $238,000 Page 9 of 24 ATTACHMENT D: Fleet Electrification Progression: Page 10 of 24 TO: TEUC FROM: Megan Moir, DPW Division Director – Water Resources Jessica Lavalette, Director of Finance and Administration – Water Resources DATE: June 24, 2025 CC: Chapin Spencer, Director of Public Works RE: FY26 Water Resources Affordability Program Enhancements: 1) Chapter 26 and 31 Proposed Ordinance Changes and 2) Bill Discount Policy Updates REQUEST The Department of Public Works (DPW) and its Water Resources Division (WRD) seeks the support and approval of the Transportation, Utilities and Energy Committee (TEUC) for the proposed update to the Bill Discount Policy and changes to the Chapter 26 and Chapter 31 ordinances to both allow for these affordability program updates and streamline the process for future changes to the affordability program. BACKGROUND In 2021, Burlington Water Resources Division became the first water resources utility in Vermont to establish an affordability program for its customers. The development of this program came from both a desire on the part of DPW leadership as well as direction set by the City Council in 2019 in response to the on-going need for water, sewer and stormwater rate increases to support investments in aging infrastructure and ongoing operational and regulatory pressures. The primary features of this affordability program included bill discounts for the following customers: 1) Low-income customers with the ability to demonstrate income at or below 200% of the federal poverty limit or 50% of the HUD Median Area Income 2) Customers 65 years or older who attest that they would experience an economic hardship without the bill discount 3) Non-profit housing organizations To date, the bill discount program has 42 low-income users and 26 seniors enrolled in the program. No non-profit housing organizations have enrolled to date. Additional features of the program included the inclusion of funding for rebates for all customers including rebates for: 1) Purchase and installation of water sense fixtures 2) Video inspections of customers private sewer laterals To date, the rebate program has provided 209 sewer video rebates and 20 water sense fixture rebates. Minor changes to the rebate program for FY26 (increase in rebate amount to match cost increase for 1 of 4 Page 11 of 24 sewer filming and increase the amount of water sense fixture rebate) are planned as part of the FY26 budget. Lastly, as part of a larger rate restructuring, which included the establishment of fixed and volumetric fee structures and different rates for different types of customers, changes were implemented to support providing low-cost drinking water to lower volume residential users by creating a tiered water rate for single family, duplex and triplex properties. Water usage at or below the below the median usage for their customer class (e.g. 400 cubic feet or 2992 gallons per month) is charged at a lower volumetric rate. Affordability Program 2.0 At the time of the 2021 Affordability Program roll out, staff acknowledged that due to the characteristics of how water and sewer service is billed to rental properties (i.e. that most multi-unit rental properties have only one water meter and water service is generally part of rent) that there was not an easy method for providing economic relief support to the rental population of Burlington, despite the awareness that increase water resources rates would be yet another pressure on rental prices. As mentioned at the time, water resources utilities across the country have struggled with this issue with limited examples of viable solutions that would directly benefit low-income renters. Given the additional significant rate pressures presented by the 2025 Water and Lake Bond proposals (estimated to be up to 89% over 5 years), Council directed the Water Resources Division to work on enhancements to the Affordability Program in the resolution authorizing the ballot items. As the result of that directive, staff are proposing two enhancements to the affordability program for FY26: 1) Addition of a stormwater fee discount for qualified customers who meet current direct assistance criteria 2) Creation of a new, indirect customer assistance program through a partnership with the Burlington Electric Department (BED) which allows Water Resources to directly offset the impact of increasing water resources rates for qualified low-income customers by funding credits that will appear on renter’s electric bills Currently, our understanding is that only one community in the country – Seattle Public Utilities – is using this “indirect assistance” assistance model. This model leverages the fact that, unlike water and sewer service, rental units often have their own electric meter and the electric bill is frequently paid directly by the renter. Through this important and positive collaboration with our sister municipal utility BED, the City will be able to provide assistance to a much larger number of Burlington residents. Note, the indirect assistance program will only be for income qualified customers to align with BED’s customer assistance program These changes will be implemented through an update to the Water Resources Bill Discount Policy (Attachment A). Additionally, changes to the Burlington Code of Ordinances Chapter 26 Wastewater and Stormwater ordinance and the Chapter 31 Water ordinance (Attachment B) are necessary to 1) allow for the discount policy to be applied to the stormwater portion of the fee and 2) allow for modifications to the wastewater and water affordability programs in the future through policy rather than ordinance change by removing reference to the specific nature of the discount provided and referring instead to “policies adopted by Council.” Based on the relevance of the above changes to the operation and business processes of the Water Resources utility, staff proposed and the Council agreed to refer these changes to the Transportation, Energy and Utilities Committee of the City Council for review. 2 of 4 Page 12 of 24 FINANCIAL IMPACTS Based on our current direct bill discount program enrollment, the addition of the stormwater discount to our direct assistance program increases revenue requirements by approximately $3,824/year. Based on the enrollment rates in the BED assistance program, we estimate the following increase to revenue requirements annually for each of the three funds due to the indirect assistance portion of the program: Water: $40,814 Wastewater: $61,314 Stormwater: $47,676 With the addition of these two features, both direct and indirect assistance customers are estimated to receive a $16.15/ month benefit under these programs. Because the Water Resources Division’s revenue needs are fixed based on operation and maintenance, capital and debt service costs, the provision of a bill discount to qualifying customers does result in a small increase rate impact for other customers. That said, the WRD was able to prepare a FY26 budget that remained within rate increases projected during the Water and Lake Bond outreach (15.15% previously estimated during bond outreach for FY26) while still including these important affordability updates. Without these FY26 changes, the typical (single family, 400 cubic foot/month usage) non-WRAP customer would have seen an approximate 14.17% increase in their water resources bill. With these important changes, the non-WRAP customer will instead see a 14.93% increase in their bill. This equates to an additional $0.45/month or $5.39/year on the water resources charges for non-WRAP customers. PROPOSED ORDINANCE The City’s Ordinance Code contains specific language about how water, wastewater, and storm sewer services are billed to customers. To maintain consistency across ordinances governing all three utilities and among the Ordinance Code, the budget resolution, and Council-adopted policies, the City Attorney’s Office has recommended that the Ordinance Code be amended to include legislation enabling City Council-adopted policies along the lines proposed. Under the proposed ordinance language, any affordability program policies would still require City Council approval. The goal is simply to ensure our ordinances are consistent with one another and coherent with other City policies as well as to allow for future changes to the affordability program without having to update the ordinance directly. TIMELINE In order for these affordability enhancements to be in effect for usage starting in FY26 (July 1) the updated policy, at a minimum, needs to be adopted before the first bills are issued in late August for July’s usage. As such, the TEUC needs to review and recommend adoption of the Bill Discount Policy at their June 24 meeting, so that the Council can approve the policy at the July 14 meeting, ideally, and certainly no later than the August 4 meeting. Furthermore, it would be ideal if the TEUC was able to recommend adoption of the ordinance changes for the July 14 meeting given the requirement to publish changes to the ordinance in a newspaper for a 20 day period. MOTION TEUC: 1. To recommend approval by the City Council of the proposed ordinances regarding Water Resources affordability enhancements. 2. To recommend approval by the City Council of the proposed policy regarding Water Resources affordability enhancements. 3 of 4 Page 13 of 24 Thank you for your consideration of this request. 4 of 4 Page 14 of 24  Bill Discount Program Clean revision 1. Availability The Bill Discount Program provides Direct Assistance on the Water Resources bill for low income customers, seniors and certain nonprofit entities. This program also provides Indirect Assistance on the electric bill for low income customers who do not receive an individual water bill from the WRD. 2. Definitions: A. Account Holder: An “Account Holder” is defined as either 1) a name listed on the City of Burlington’s property database as the owner of record of the property to which the water/wastewater services are provided, or 2) a name that has been approved for addition to the water account as an authorized tenant or property manager per Burlington Code of Ordinance § 31-19. B. Eligible Customer: An “Eligible Customer” is an individual or entity that meets the requirements as set forth in §4 (Eligibility). C. Fixed Meter Charge(s): A “Fixed Meter Charge” is defined as the water fixed charges and/or wastewater fixed charges, described in BCO §§ 26-53(a)(1) and 31-61(a)(1), based on the size of the meter or meters and listed in the “Water and Wastewater Fixed Charge by Meter Size Schedule,” as periodically updated and approved by City Council in the annual budget or otherwise. D. Stormwater Flat Fee: A “Stormwater Flat Fee” is defined as the residential stormwater user fee applicable for the account in question, described in BCO 26-171 and 26-172 (a), based on the residential property type. E. Low-Income Customer: A “Low-Income Customer” is defined as an account holder already enrolled in an assistance program(s) that defines eligibility by a total gross monthly household income (adjusted for family size) to be at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines as published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or 50% of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Area Median Income. F. Non-Profit Entity: A “Non-Profit Entity” is defined as an Account Holder whose meter(s) provides service to affordable or senior housing or shelters serving unhoused populations and unit occupants do not otherwise qualify for Direct or Indirect Assistance through this program. For entities providing affordable (as opposed to no-cost housing) such entities will be eligible provided they can document to WRD how they will pass on the benefit from participation in the Bill Discount Program to their tenants. WRD will determine, in its sole judgement, what constitutes adequate documentation that the benefit of this waiver will accrue to paying tenants. G. Senior Customer: A “Senior Customer” is defined as an account holder who is 65 years or older. 3. Description of Assistance: A. Direct Assistance: A customer eligible to receive a waiver under §4 A (Eligibility) of this policy may have their monthly water and/or wastewater Fixed Meter Charge waived and 50% of their Stormwater Flat Fee waived. B. Indirect Assistance: A customer eligible to receive a waiver under §4 B (Eligibility) of this policy may have a credit applied to their monthly electric bill that is equivalent to the sum of the 5/8” fixed meter charge for water and wastewater and 50% of the Stormwater Flat Fee for a detached single family home. 4. Eligibility: A. To be eligible for Direct Assistance, an individual or entity must meet the following requirements: i. Be the Account Holder; ii. Have a water or wastewater meter that provides service to one residential unit (e.g. single family property, condo, or duplex unit with its own meter), and be able to demonstrate that they are one of the following: 1. A Low-Income Customer, as defined in §2 (Definitions); Page 1 of 2 Page 15 of 24  2. A Senior Customer, as defined in §2 (Definitions), who attests that having to pay the Fixed Meter Charge(s) would create an economic hardship, meaning they would be unable to pay their water resources bill; or 3. A Non-Profit Entity , as defined in §2 (Definitions). B. To be eligible for Indirect Assistance, an individual must meet the following requirements: i. A Low-Income Customer, as defined in §2 (Definitions); ii. Be ineligible for Direct Assistance as defined under §4 Eligibility (A)(ii); iii. Be a Burlington Electric Customer who takes service through BED’s Residential Service (“RS” Rate) and receives a bill; iv. Property owner must not participate in Direct Assistance as verified by the WRD. 5. Application & Approval: A. Customers must complete and submit an application to WRD. The application must include specified documents to demonstrate that they are an eligible Low-Income Customer, a Senior Customer, or a Non-Profit Entity. B. WRD shall either approve or deny each application received based on completion of information contained in the application and provision of all required supporting documents. C. WRD shall determine if an approved application qualifies for Direct or Indirect Assistance. D. Applicants will be notified by email or regular mail if their application was approved or denied and on what grounds within sixty (60) days of WRD receiving the application. E. Accounts approved for the program will begin having their water and/or sewer Fixed Meter Charge(s) waived on the following billing cycle after the application is approved. A notice of approved application will include the date of when the waiver will be applied to a customer’s bill. F. Applications shall include a statement indicating that participant information will only be released to any third party only with a customer’s written consent or as may be required by law (including the Vermont Public Records Act). 6. Termination & Renewal: WRD reserves the right to immediately terminate account holder participation in this program for the following reasons: A. Removal of the approved account holder’s name (e.g., property sale, tenant changeover); B. Death of the approved account holder; C. No longer qualifying for the waiver; i. A customer whose water and/or wastewater Fixed Meter Charge(s) is being waived must report to WRD within thirty (30) day all changes in factors that make would make them ineligible under §4 (Eligibility D. Fraudulent applications or unauthorized use of service (providing water for use at a location other than my primary residence) will result in removal from the program and additional consequences (which shall include back billing). E. Customer may withdraw from this program voluntarily at any time by contacting the WRD. F. WRD may require customers to renew their enrollment in the Bill Discount Program by providing updated eligibility documentation no more frequently than once per year. Page 2 of 2 Page 16 of 24  Policy for Temporary Waiver of Water and Wastewater Fixed Meter Charge for Low-Income and Senior, and Non-Profit Affordable and Senior Housing Customers Bill Discount Program Mark-up version 1. Introduction & Authority: Burlington City Ordinances (BCO) permit a fixed meter charge to be temporarily waived in accordance with policies prescribed by the Water Resources Division (WRD) of the Department of Public Works and as approved by City Council as part of the Water Resources Assistance Program. This policy, as enabled by BCO §§ 26-53 (a)(1a) and 31-61 (a)(1a), and as approved by City Council on July 12, 2021, sets forth the rationale, parameters, eligibility, and other details of an assistance program to temporarily waive water and wastewater fixed meter charges for low-income and senior customers. 1. Availability The Bill Discount Program provides Direct Assistance on the Water Resources bill for low income customers, seniors and certain nonprofit entities. This program also provides Indirect Assistance on the electric bill for low income customers who do not receive an individual water bill from the WRD. 2. Definitions: A. Account Holder: An “Account Holder” is defined as either 1) a name listed on the City of Burlington’s property database as the owner of record of the property to which the water/wastewater services are provided, or 2) a name that has been approved for addition to the water account as an authorized tenant or property manager per Burlington Code of Ordinance § 31-19. B. Eligible Customer: An “Eligible Customer” is an individual or entity that meets the requirements as set forth in §4 (Eligibility). C. Fixed Meter Charge(s): A “Fixed Meter Charge” is defined as the water fixed charges and/or wastewater fixed charges, described in BCO §§ 26-53(a)(1) and 31-61(a)(1), based on the size of the meter or meters and listed in the “Water and Wastewater Fixed Charge by Meter Size Schedule,” as periodically updated and approved by City Council in the annual budget or otherwise. D. Stormwater Flat Fee: A “Stormwater Flat Fee” is defined as the residential stormwater user fee applicable for the account in question, described in BCO 26-171 and 26-172 (a), based on the residential property type. E. Low-Income Customer: A “Low-Income Customer” is defined as an account holder already enrolled in an assistance program(s) that defines eligibility by a total gross monthly household income (adjusted for family size) to be at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines as published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or 50% of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Area Median Income. F. Non-Profit EntityHousing Organization: A “Non-Profit EntityHousing Organization” is defined as an Account Holder whose meter(s) provides service to affordable or senior housing living units or shelters serving unhoused populations and unit occupants do not otherwise qualify for Direct or Indirect Assistance through this program.can verify the For entities providing affordable (as opposed to no-cost housing) such entities will be eligible provided they can document to WRD how they will pass on the benefit from participation in the Bill Discount Program to their tenants. WRD will determine, in its sole judgement, what constitutes adequate documentation that the benefit of this waiver will accrue to paying tenants. ir domestic non-profit corporation status. G. Senior Customer: A “Senior Customer” is defined as an account holder who is 65 years or older. 3. Description of AssistanceFixed Meter Charge Waiver: A. Direct Assistance:Applicability: A customer eligible to receive a waiver under §4 A (Eligibility) of this policy may have their monthly water and/or wastewater Fixed Meter Charge waived and 50% of their Stormwater Flat Fee waived. and not applied to their monthly bill. Page 1 of 3 Page 17 of 24  B. Indirect Assistance: A customer eligible to receive a waiver under §4 B (Eligibility) of this policy may have a credit applied to their monthly electric bill that is equivalent to the sum of the 5/8” fixed meter charge for water and wastewater and 50% of the Stormwater Flat Fee for a detached single family home. Temporary nature of fixed meter charge waiver: Enrollment in this program is temporary and customers having their Fixed Meter Charge waived under this policy for the durations described in §6 (Temporary Nature of Waiver and Reapplication) and can be removed as described in §7 (Termination). 4. Eligibility: B.A. To be eligible for Direct Assistancewater and/or wastewater Fixed Meter Charge(s) waiver, an individual or entity must meet the following requirements: i. Be the Account Holder; ii. Have a water or wastewater meter that provides service to one residential unit (e.g. single family property, condo, or duplex unit with its own meter), and be able to demonstrate that they are one of the following: 1. A Low-Income Customer, as defined in §2 (Definitions); 2. A Senior Customer, as defined in §2 (Definitions), who attests that having to pay the Fixed Meter Charge(s) would create an economic hardship, meaning they would be unable to pay their water resources bill; or 3. A Non-Profit Housing Entity Organization, as defined in §2 (Definitions). Be able to demonstrate that they are a Low-Income Customer, a Senior Customer, or a Non- Profit Housing EntityOrganization. B. To be eligible for Indirect Assistance, an individual must meet the following requirements: i. A Low-Income Customer, as defined in §2 (Definitions); ii. Be ineligible for Direct Assistance as defined under §4 Eligibility (A)(ii); iii. Be a Burlington Electric Customer who takes service through BED’s Residential Service (“RS” Rate) and receives a bill; iv. Property owner must not participate in Direct Assistance as verified by the WRD. iii.v. 4.5. Application & Approval: A. Customers must complete and submit an application to WRD. For Eligible Customers to have their water and/or wastewater Fixed Meter Charge(s) waived they must first complete and submit an application to WRD. The application must include specified any documents to demonstrate that they are an eligible Low-Income Customer, a Senior Customer, or a Non-Profit Housing EntityOrganization. i. WRD shall develop an application reflecting the requirements and elements of this policy and shall post this on their website. B. WRD shall either approve or deny each application received based on completion of information contained in the application and provision of all required supporting documents. C. Incomplete applications and applications not including the requisite documentation will be denied.WRD shall determine if an approved application qualifies for Direct or Indirect Assistance. D. Applicants will be notified by email or regular mail if their application was approved or denied and on what grounds within sixty (60) days of WRD receiving the application. E. Accounts approved for the program will begin having their water and/or sewer Fixed Meter Charge(s) waived on the following billing cycle after the application is approved. A notice of approved application will include the date of when the waiver will be applied to a customer’s bill. F. Applications shall include a statement indicating that participant information will only be released to any third party only with a customer’s written consent or as may be required by law (including the Vermont Public Records Act). 5. Temporary Nature of Waiver and Reapplication: A. Low-Income Customers and Senior Customers may have their water and/or wastewater Fixed Meter Charge(s) waived for a period of time beginning the following billing cycle after the application is approved and ending on June 30th. A customer must submit another application to WRD in accordance Page 2 of 3 Page 18 of 24  with the process described in §5 (Application & Approval) to be granted a Fixed Meter Charge(s) waiver for any time past June 30th. i. No reapplication will be required for Low-Income Customers and Senior Customers in the first year of having the waiver applied to their account if they are approved between January 1st and June 30th of that calendar year. B. Non-Profit Housing Organizations may have their water and/or wastewater Fixed Meter Charge(s) waived for a period of time up to three (3) years, beginning the following billing cycle after the application is approved and ending on June 30th of the third calendar year in which their application was approved. 6. Termination & Renewal: WRD reserves the right to immediately terminate account holder participation in this program for the following reasons: A. Removal of the approved account holder’s name (e.g., property sale, tenant changeover); B. Death of the approved account holder; C. Failure to submit another application by June 30th of each year; D.C. No longer qualifying for the waiver; i. A customer whose water and/or wastewater Fixed Meter Charge(s) is being waived must report to WRD within thirty (30) day all changes in factors that make would make them ineligible under §4 (Eligibility), even if the changes occur before the required recertification date. D. Fraudulent applications or unauthorized use of service (providing water for use at a location other than my primary residence) will result in removal from the program and additional consequences (which shall include back billing). E. Customer may withdraw from this program voluntarily at any time by contacting the WRD. E.F. WRD may require customers to renew their enrollment in the Bill Discount Program by providing updated eligibility documentation no more frequently than once per year. 7. Attachments: A. Findings in support of the WRD’s Policy for Temporary Waiver of Water and Wastewater Fixed Meter Charge for Low-Income and Senior, and Non Profit Affordable and Senior Housing Customers. Page 3 of 3 Page 19 of 24  CITY OF BURLINGTON ORDINANCE ___________ Sponsor: DPW – Water Resources Public Hearing Dates: ___________ In the Year Two Thousand Twenty-Five _____________________________ First reading: _________________ Referred to: ___________________ An Ordinance in Relation to Rules suspended and placed in all stages of passage: ______________ WATER RESOURCES AFFORDABLE RATE SETTING Second reading: ________________ Action: ______________________ Date: ________________________ Signed by Mayor: ______________ Published: ____________________ Effective: _____________________ It is hereby Ordained by the City Council of the City of Burlington as follows: 1 That Chapter 26, Wastewater, Stormwater, & Pollution Control, of the Code of Ordinances of the City of 2 Burlington be and hereby is amended by amending Sec. 53 (Wastewater rates and fees; charges) thereof to 3 read as follows: 4 (a) Monthly wastewater rates and fees shall be in accordance with a schedule prescribed by the water 5 resources division of the department of public works and approved by the city council in the city’s budget or 6 otherwise, and charges shall be categorized as follows: 7 (a1) Fixed charge. Based on the size of the meter or meters. 8 a. A fixed meter charge may be temporarily waived in accordance with policies prescribed by 9 the water division of the department of public works and as approved by city council as part of the 10 water resources assistance program. 11 (b2) Volumetric charge. Based on the customer classification and the volumetric usage of wastewater 12 upon the premises as measured by the city water meter or as estimated where appropriate by the water 13 division of the department of public works. 14 And that Chapter 26, Wastewater, Stormwater, & Pollution Control, of the Code of Ordinances of the City of 15 Burlington be and hereby is amended by amending Sec. 56 (Abatements; credits; refunds), thereof to read as 16 follows: 17 (a) Abatements, credits, and refunds of wastewater rates, fees and charges shall be in accordance 18 with policies prescribed by the water division of the department of public works and approved by the 19 city council. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this article, abatements, credits, and refunds 20 of wastewater water rates and fees, including, without limitation, temporary waivers of fixed charges 21 or rate reductions or waivers based upon income, shall be in accordance with policies prescribed by 22 the water resources division of the department of public works and approved by the city council. Page 20 of 24  Page 2 An Ordinance in Relation to WATER RESOURCES AFFORDABLE RATE SETTING 23 (b) Any premises to which city water is supplied for manufacturing, commercial, or irrigation 24 purposes, in such a manner that a substantial portion of the same is not returned to the city sewer 25 system, shall be entitled, upon application therefore, to such abatement in the wastewater charge, as 26 the director shall determine to be equitable under the circumstances. Any person dissatisfied with 27 such determination by the director may apply first to the public works commission for an adjustment 28 thereof, and thereafter to the city council whose decision shall be final. 29 30 And that Chapter 26, Wastewater, Stormwater, & Pollution Control, of the Code of Ordinances of the City of 31 Burlington be and hereby is amended by amending Sec. 171 (Establishment of stormwater user fees), thereof 32 to read as follows: 33 (a) A user fee based on an impervious surface unit (ISU) shall be imposed on every owner of non- 34 exempt developed property within the city. An ISU shall equal one thousand (1,000) square feet. 35 (b) The city council shall have the authority to set and modify the user fee rates so that the total 36 revenue generated by said charges, and any secondary sources of revenue, shall be sufficient to fund 37 the city’s stormwater program. 38 (c) The city council shall establish, in the city’s budget or otherwise, by resolution the monthly rate 39 for each ISU. The monthly user fee for a specific property is determined by multiplying the ISU rate 40 times the number of ISUs on the property. 41 (d) The only exempt properties under this division are those included within the limits of a railroad 42 track right-of-way (property on which railroad stations, maintenance buildings, or other developed 43 land used for railroad purposes is located shall not be exempt) and those included within the limits of 44 a public road right-of-way. 45 (e) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this division, abatements, credits, and refunds of 46 stormwater user fee and charges, including, without limitation, rate reductions or waivers based upon 47 income, shall be in accordance with policies prescribed by the water division of the department of 48 public works and approved by the city council. 49 50 And that Chapter 31, Water, of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Burlington be and hereby is amended 51 by amending Sec. 61 (Rates and fees; charges), thereof to read as follows: Page 21 of 24  Page 3 An Ordinance in Relation to WATER RESOURCES AFFORDABLE RATE SETTING 52 (a) Monthly water rates and fees shall be in accordance with a schedule prescribed by the water 53 division of the department of public works and approved by the city council in the city’s budget or 54 otherwise, and charges shall be categorized as follows: 55 (1) Fixed charge. Based on the size of the meter or meters. 56 a. A fixed meter charge may be temporarily waived in accordance with policies 57 prescribed by the water division of the department of public works and as approved by 58 city council as part of the water resources assistance program. 59 (2) Volumetric charge. Based on the customer classification and the volumetric usage of 60 wastewater upon the premises as measured by the city water meter or as estimated where 61 appropriate by the water division of the department of public works. 62 (3) Private fire protection charge. Based on the presence of private fire protection 63 infrastructure, meaning a fire hydrant outside the right-of-way and a service line that feeds a 64 fire protection system. 65 (4) Other fees and charges related to billing, and administrative and field services, 66 including, without limitation, rates, fees and charges set by the State of Vermont. 67 (b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this article, abatements, credits, and refunds of 68 water rates and fees, including, without limitation, temporary waivers of fixed charges or rate 69 reductions or waivers based upon income, shall be in accordance with policies prescribed by the 70 water division of the department of public works and approved by the city council. 71 72 * Material stricken out deleted. 73 ** Material underlined added. 74 75 76 77 78 ER/Ordinances 2025/Water Resources Rates 79 June 2025 Page 22 of 24 MEMO To: City of Burlington Transportation, Energy, Utilities, Committee From: Chris Damiani, GMT Director of Planning CC: Clayton Cark, GMT General Manager Chapin Spencer, Director of Public Works Burlington Date: June 20, 2025 Subject: #11 Fare Free Transition Background The College Street Shuttle originated about 30 years ago and over the years as the schedule, routing, and vehicle type have changed, the Burlington portion of this route has remained fare free to all users through an assessment from the City of Burlington. This route in its various iterations has served a variety of purposes from tourism, to providing free transit access between downtown and the hospital, as well as access to the airport. On June 17th the GMT Board voted to adjust the routing of the #11 to Main Street as presented at the May TEUC meeting. This new routing creates a 15-minute shared service corridor in Burlington on Main Street through the northern portion of Dorset St and Market St. in South Burlington between the adjusted #1 and #11 schedules. This new service goes into effect on August 25, 2025. The service design is intended to help existing crowding that occurs on the #1 Williston route between Downtown, UVM and the stores along the Dorset St. corridor as well as be able to handle the increased demand with new development in South Burlington. Having the #11 route continue to be fare free in Burlington would cause confusion as well as result in not utilizing to its full potential the shared service corridor between the new routes #1 and #11. When GMT resumed fares in May 2024, fare free continued on this route through support from the City of Burlington. Currently when passengers get on the bus anywhere between the Downtown Transit Center and the UVM Medical Center regardless of which direction they are traveling their ride is free. If passengers board in Burlington and continue on into South Burlington, they continue to get a fare free ride through their ride into South Burlington. Riders who board anywhere in South Burlington heading in either direction must pay the applicable fare. Timeline • At the June 17th GMT Board meeting, the board voted to approve staff to go to public hearings on the fare change to the #11. This process is guided by the GMT Fare and Service Changes Public Hearing Policy which was approved by the board on July 29, 2009. • GMT has a public meeting scheduled for Wednesday, July 9th at 12:00 PM via Zoom. 1 Page 23 of 24  • The GMT Board will vote on reinstating fares on the Burlington portion of the #11 at their 7/15/25 Board Meeting. • If approved GMT will begin collecting fares on the #11 starting August 25, 2025. Green Mountain Transit is looking for support from the TEUC to reinstate fares on the Burlington portion of the 11. Staff will include a summary of the discussion for the GMT Board for their decision making. 2 Page 24 of 24