Transportation, Energy, and Utilities Committee

Regular Meeting

Burlington, VT · April 28, 2026

Minutes

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, April 28, 2026 – 5:30 PM --DRAFT MINUTES— See video for full meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r87gFTzsnXg Councilors absent: None Councilors present: Chair Barlow, Councilor Bergman, Councilor Broderick, and Councilor McKnight Chair Barlow calls the meeting to order at 5:34 pm 1. Agenda Councilor Bergman moves to adopt the agenda as posted. Councilor McKnight seconds. All in favor, Unanimous approval 2. Minutes of 3/24/26 Councilor Bergman moves to adopt the minutes. Councilor McKnight seconds. All in favor, Unanimous approval 3. Public Forum Nick Persampier – Ward 3 – Talked about Thermal Energy System Carbon Impact Fee Ordinance that was passed in 2023 – looking for documentation. B.E.D. reports Greenhouse gas submissions down 17 percent in 2025 - asking for how calculation was figured. Stu Lindsay - Ward 5 – Walk to Shop - goal to get people to walk. Goal to log a million steps in the month of May. Pedestrian scrambles workshop. Sharon Bushor (Zoom) – Glad more steps taken for the pedestrian. Solid Waste Generation Tax – Charge every house – affordability concern. 4. Deliberative Agenda 4.1 Burlington Walk/Bike Council & City Council Collaboration Framework Phillip Peterson, Senior Transportation Planner DPW & Gordon Dragoun Walk/Bike Council presented information. Councilor McKnight wants to make sure that we are set up for success. Have info online on DPW Website. Like to have a spot on the agenda periodically. Councilor Broderick - make sure its successful and use email lists to keep people up to date. Supports this. Councilor Bergman – thinks this is a good step. scheduling is important. Supports this. Chair Barlow very supportive, over communication is better. How many people are part of the Walk/bike council now? AI generated minutes w/ slight staff revisions: The group discussed plans to establish regular meetings between the Walk Bike Council and neighborhood representatives. DPW expressed support for the initiative, suggesting they start with existing communication infrastructure like MPAs and steering committees rather than formalizing processes immediately. The conversation ended with a motion to refer the proposal to City Council for information, with plans to draft a memo outlining the initiative's goals and securing Council President's support for agenda placement. Councilor McKnight made a motion to refer this to the City Council agenda. Councilor Bergman seconds. Councilor Bergman amends to have a revised memo from WalkBike council. All in favor, Unanimous approval 4.2 VT 127 SUP Connection Study Bryan Davis Senior Transportation Planner, CCRPC & Maddy Suender, Associate Engineer presented information. Councilor Bergman stated it is a pain to get from the homestead to North Ave. what would be the estimated construction time? Councilor McKnight - most people are not using this as a commuter path – exciting but what happens next, how do we build it? Councilor Broderick – on the script. Chair Barlow - this is my neighborhood, welcomes the improvement. AI generated minutes w/ slight staff revisions: The meeting focused on discussing safety improvements for the 127 corridor, with DPW presenting options and funding opportunities, including a $5 million VTRANS bike peg grant program. The group discussed potential construction impacts and traffic disruptions, with DPW suggesting that traffic could be managed in phases to minimize disruption. The meeting focused on discussing the 127 path connection to North Avenue, with Brian Davis presenting a project overview and alternatives. The team reviewed public engagement efforts, including advisory committee meetings and surveys that gathered feedback from over 150 participants. The discussion covered safety concerns, maintenance issues, and opportunities to improve path separation and accessibility. The presentation detailed crash data showing 56 crashes over a 5-year period with no fatalities or injuries, and outlined Alternative 1 which involves reallocating space on the existing bridge by reducing lanes to 11 feet and creating a 14-foot path. The conversation ended with a unanimous decision to refer the proposal back to the City Council for approval, with a recommendation to proceed with the project. Councilor Bergman makes the motion that this be referred back to the council for the approval indicated in this memo with TEUC recommending it. Councilor McKnight seconds. All in favor, Unanimous approval 4.3 SWGT Policy Options (Who pays the SWGT in FY 27) Lee Perry, Assistant Director of Maintenance & Chapin Spencer, DPW Director presented information. Councilor McKnight - Offer Option D- why are we not charging everyone? Sliding volume scale? Where does composting fit in? Councilor Bergman – Memo is confusing. How would different plans relate to different populations? Make sure we are caring about income sensitivity. Councilor Broderick Agrees it should be affordable. What would option C look like? Chair Barlow where would the 1.45 be assed? Tax bill? AI generated minutes w/ slight staff revisions: The Transportation, Energy, and Utilities Committee discussed solid waste generation tax policy options, focusing on whether the city should implement flow control for residential recycling collection and whether all residents should pay for base solid waste services through a solid waste generation tax. The committee reviewed three options: maintaining the current structure limited to recycling service recipients, implementing flow control with expanded services, or implementing a two-tiered system with a base fee for all residents receiving trash service. While committee members expressed support for expanding the tax to all residents as a fair approach given the broader scope of services funded by the tax, they requested more detailed information about different population segments and impacts before making a final decision. 4.4 Cherry Street Condemnation Request Laura Wheelock Assistant Director of Technical Services & City Engineer & Corey Mims DPW Senior Engineer presented information. Councilor Bergman - all but one is for temporary construction easements? Chair Barlow - same process as Winooski Bridge? AI generated minutes w/ slight staff revisions: The committee also approved moving forward with the Cherry Street/Bank Street Reconnection Project condemnation process, with plans to seek City Council approval at the May 11th meeting to meet federal funding deadlines. Councilor Bergman moves to approve the requested motion and to send this back to the Council for the May 11th City Council meeting. Councilor McKnight seconds. All in favor, Unanimous approval 5. Director’s Report . Director Spencer spoke about: • Fully underway with construction season • Engineering successfully advancing the completion of the Champlain Parkway & Great Streets Main St • Underway with paving program 6. Councilor Items None. 7. Next Meeting May 26, 2026, 5:30 pm at 645 Pine St. 8. Adjournment Chair Barlow adjourns meeting at 7:53 pm.

Agenda

Packet

City Council - Transportation, Energy and Utilities Committee Tuesday, April 28, 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 3/24/26 3. Public Forum 4. Deliberative Agenda 4.1. Burlington Walk/Bike Council & City Council Collaboration Framework - 30 min 4.2. VT 127 SUP Connection Study - 15 min 4.3. SWGT Policy Options (Who pays the SWGT in FY 27) - Action - 30 min 4.4. Cherry Street Condemnation Request - Action - 20 min 5. Director's Report 6. Councilor Items 7. Next Meeting 7.1. Tentative & TBD 8. Adjournment Page 1 of 4 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 05402-0849 www.burlingtonvt.gov 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, March 24, 2026 – 5:30 PM --DRAFT MINUTES— See video for full meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZWr4Ybiexs Councilors absent: None Councilors present: Chair Barlow, Councilor Bergman, Councilor Broderick, and Councilor McKnight (zoom) Chair Barlow calls the meeting to order at 5:32 pm 1. Agenda Councilor Bergman moves the adoption of the agenda as posted in Civic Clerk. Councilor Broderick seconds. All in favor, Unanimous approval 2. Minutes of 2/19/26 Councilor Bergman moves to adopt the 2/19/26 minutes as posted. Councilor Broderick seconds. All in favor, Unanimous approval 3. Public Forum None 4. Deliberative Agenda 4.1 GMT Visioning, Budget and Service Update Clayton Clark, General Manager for GMT, Chris Damiani Director of Planning for GMT and Andrea Suozzo GMT Vice Chair presented information. Councilor Bergman asked for more info on the thought leader question, where staff is at? What side they would be on? Interested in the State Transit Bill. Chair Barlow GMT is doing this everyday and should be a thought leader. What is the cost to add an extra run to Tilley Dr? Councilor Broderick feels there needs to be a provider for mass transit service to carry a lot of people to the most important places and appreciates GMT for filling that role. UVM is moving a lot of special services to Tilley Dr, and there is currently no shuttle by the hospital. Page 2 of 4 Councilor McKnight asked where does D.O.T. and the Governors responsibility to keep the state running fit in here? AI generated minutes w/ slight staff revisions: The meeting focused on GMT's visioning process and budget updates, with Clayton Clark discussing the agency's transition from a joint urban-rural transit provider to an urban-focused service. Clayton explained that GMT is studying new service models including a combination of ADA paratransit and micro transit, and has augmented its planning capacity with two additional planners supported by CCRPC. The discussion revealed ongoing debates about whether GMT should serve as a thought leader for regional transit or primarily focus on service provision, with Clayton acknowledging staff capacity limitations if the agency were to take on a more leadership role. The conversation also addressed structural challenges in public transit governance, with Clayton noting that transportation committees often prioritize roads over people-focused transit needs. The meeting focused on budget challenges facing GMT, particularly regarding federal and local funding. Clayton explained that while FY27 will have a $500,000 deficit, the more significant challenge will be FY28 when federal carbon reduction and COVID relief funds expire, leaving a $3 million gap in a $20 million budget. The discussion highlighted concerns about the upcoming surface transportation bill, which expires September 30, with potential 15-20% funding reductions and possible restrictions on flexing highway dollars to public transit. The committee discussed several transit service changes, including a potential rerouting of the B11 bus to serve the hospital, which requires legislative approval. They also reviewed upcoming service modifications including changes to the Montpelier link, routing adjustments for the number 5 route to better serve Social Security Administration offices, and potential elimination of the underperforming Essex route. The discussion highlighted a gap in hospital shuttle service to Tilly Drive, where patients face long wait times between limited runs, though any expansion would require hospital funding. The committee also explored opportunities for Transportation Demand Management (TDM) agreements with employers and institutions, noting the potential for innovative solutions like micro transit to serve outlying areas. Councilor Bergman made a motion for the GMT Board members to help the TEUC members to draft a letter to find a way to find the $500,000 shortfall that is currently anticipated and include Members of the Senate Transportation Committee. Councilor Broderick seconds. All in favor, Unanimous approval 4.2 Industrial Pre-Treatment Briefing and Next Steps Megan Moir, Division Director Water Resources presented information. Councilor Bergman wants the ordinance committee to do this. Make sure what is seen is consistent with the entire ordinance, including Article 1 of chapter 26. Chair Barlow asked if this is predicated on S212. AI generated minutes w/ slight staff revisions: The committee discussed implementing an industrial pre-treatment program to manage wastewater from breweries and other industries. The program aims to ensure compliance with federal regulations and prevent overburdening the wastewater treatment plant's capacity. Key points included the need for ordinance changes to delegate authority from the state and the potential for the Ordinance Committee to review the proposed updates. The group agreed to explore decoupling certain elements to meet immediate deadlines while addressing broader regulatory needs. They also discussed the importance of ensuring consistency with existing ordinance language and charter Page 3 of 4 requirements. Regarding regulations, DPW explained they are working on adopting federal changes and discussed the potential for Burlington to take on more regulatory responsibility rather than leaving it entirely to the state. Next steps include reviewing the proposed ordinance changes and preparing for potential council adoption by June 30th. 4.3 Winooski Bridge/COBRI Intersection Condemnation Process Laura Wheelock, City Engineer & Division Director of Technical Services & Maddy Suender, Associate Engineer presented information. Councilor Bergman said you will have to walk us through everything and have pictures. Chair Barlow asked if DPW anticipates this being controversial? Is any of this executive session? Councilor McKnight agrees with laying out who is in charge of what. Curious to hear more about the dialog process. Who is impacted by this? AI generated minutes w/ slight staff revisions: The committee discussed a condemnation process for the Winooski Bridge intersection. For the Winooski Bridge condemnation process, Laura & Maddy provided updates on property negotiations, noting that 7 out of 10 remaining properties need to be signed, with most negotiations proceeding well. The committee discussed the upcoming April 13th City Council meeting where they will request to set hearing dates for May 21st or 28th. 5. Director’s Report Laura shared that DPW is bringing forward a similar condemnation process for Cherry Street, because is shares a similar federal funding deadline. Director Spencer shared that DPW is working on finalizing Clean Sweep dates. 6. Councilor Items Councilor Bergman – Pine St? Chair Barlow reminded everyone that this is the final meeting with the current committee before reorganization on April 1, 2026. Councilor McKnight asked if there was any news on the signal issue from this morning (Main St & S. Willard St)? What happens if it can be fixed? 7. Next Meeting Tentatively April 28, 2026, 5:30 pm at 645 Pine St. 8. Adjournment Chair Barlow adjourns meeting at 7:26pm. Page 4 of 4