Wards 4 & 7 NPA

Regular Meeting

Burlington, VT · January 22, 2025

Minutes

NPA Meeting Jan 23 2025 Hunt Middle School Notes by Annie Lawson, Steering Committee Member Community Announcements: Evan Litwin: -initiative by Mark Barlow to look at improving safety on beltline -Needles in the NNE: Odd Fellows has volunteered to be a spot for picking up kits to safely pick up needles in the community Mayor Emma: Gratitude for us being willing to shift in order for emergency cold shelter in the Miller Center: 78 folks used shelter last night so the impact is immediate and thanks us for our flexibility in shifting. Also wants to share that other City employee folks are here to have a team membership representation for the GO fund: (general use fund) to try to make a case for why this is an important investment in our city through infrastructure. Deferred maintenance is coming due. She’s here to answer questions after presentations. Ashley Parker with City Treasurers Office and Ward 4 resident, presenting on General Obligation Bond for City’s General Fund Capital Program -All of the following info can be found in more detail: go to ● City Main Page: BurlingtonVT.gov. ● Then click on Elections Button, ● Then go to BTV Thrives website on the following page. ● This presentation lives there as well. Also consider signing up for Mayor’s Email List, which is also on that same page. Households will also receive postcards that will have a QR code, going to households on Voter Checklist. (We also do still mail ballots to all households; look between Feb 10 and 12.) Also Google BTV Thrives. -Sharing about a request for capital project funds: generally things that involve construction, streets, sidewalks, bridges, fleets, replacements of major assets. These are not annual repairs or maintenance (those are under the umbrella of operating budget). This bond is focused on critical infrastructure needs: not band-aids, but actual things that require replacing. Fleet is at the top of her list: many vehicles and equipment, and 30% of these need to be replaced due to lack of funding in general fund. Many of these 30% are in public safety (fire, police, snow removal). 3M need to et back on track with a more regular replacement schedule. Also sidewalk maintenance: we are estimating 3 miles of 133 miles city-wide needs replacing each year; each mile costs $1m to replace. We are behind in replacing what has needed replacing each year. 88 miles of streets, and Public Works is charged with maintaining these. 10 miles need to be paved. Estimating 1.2 million a mile for paving. Also better bridges and traffic calming is part of this bond: Winooski Bridge Local Match: BTV is in partnership with VTRANS and Winooski and we got a big grant to cover this, but we need to cover some remaining funds. Also Transportation Planning Team (bike/ped safety work): $300,000 a year can go into permanent or temporary safety elements: safer intersections, traffic calming: 56 community requests, and this amount of money would help reach 75% of these requests for traffic calming or safety measures. -City Buildings: 19 buildings owned by city that need attention. Example: Miller Center (HVAC project, energy-efficient), also City Hall, BCA complex, Fire Station 1. There’s about $700,000 per need, and so 2 buildings could get repaired with $2m. City Parks: Deferred maintenance of city parks including Perkins Pier, Harbor Marina, Universally Accessible Playground at Oak Ledge was supported with funding like this. -A live planning map to show projections across several years: also allows for community feedback and start pin-pointing areas where most work is needed. This can be found on webpage along with other info; see directions above. -What is tax impact? Affordability and transparency are important to the City. They want to make efficient use of any resources that they gain to try to take burden from taxpayers. If bond passes, it will allow City to have some additional resources to help leverage for additional funding: when 2022 bond passed, they were able to take 5m of that to leverage into 7.2 into grant funding. The hope is to do the same thing and generate more improvements and funding. How does this fit in with city’s debt policy? Overlapping debt with school district gets reviewed. Because of changes in the grant list, as well as changes in principal and interest, it gives more wiggle room to ask for a bigger bond. -Effect on tax bills: It would be spent out over the next 3 years in incremental phases. So max impact is about $12 a month on a house worth $500,000. As debt gets paid down, they expect that amount to go down. -Ongoing efforts to have convos with NPAs to share this information, as well as bringing it to City Council. They encourage folks to take the survey and take questions Connor Timmons from HomeShare Vermont. -Wants to reinforce ideas about Homeshare: if you have an extra room and need some extra income, that rent can go towards that. Maybe you have no need for rent but do need help getting to appointments or shoveling the walk. HomeShareVT can match you with someone who can best meet your needs. Connor was a HomeShare host over the summer who helped with child care, and helped with two meals a week. 100% recommendation rate from folks who use their service. (No one has this!) Average rent was $359. Maximum rate you can charge is $650 per month. THis is a way to stay in your community for longer, be a contributing member, and make more connections within your community. They run 6 background checks and 4 reference checks for everyone: both hosts and guests. They also spent 90 minutes with both, interviewing them to see what they’re about and what they’re into. You can also request folks who share specific interests or have certain skills: they will take that into account when matching. Then a two-week trial after an introduction that everyone agrees to go forward with. At the end of 2 weeks, either party can call it off. Then, after the 2-week trial, case managers stay on. Some folks have been staying on for 19 years. A question: can they match undocumented folks with hosts? Yes, if the stars align. They can run an international background check if needed, and would also lean on more references. Alternatively, you can waive these background processes if you want. Updates from City Councilors: Talking about Charter Changs: -Councilor Litwin: Authority to change how rental changes are done: municipalities can’t do rent control; only Legislature can do this. Litwin wants to start first step of process around notice periods: aka how long landlords are required to give people when rent will go up. This means that in this area where folks need more time to make changes to housing, especially when rent changes go way up. If we vote yes on this, the conversation around notice periods comes back to Ordinance Committee, who would get authority to start writing an ordinance around what rental notice looks like. This works both ways: renters giving notice, plus landlords giving notice. Right now, the Committee doesn’t even have the authority to have the conversation. The slightly longer notice period that BTV has used to be enough, but now with changes to housing market, people need more time to find something within their community. He sees this as a stabilization effort. Voting yes on this does not mean that it is coming into effect: first, it has to get through the legislature. It also can go the other way currently: sometimes landlords ask for a rent renewal 11 months before lease is up. -Councilor Carpenter: Redistricting on the ballot: For example: Election districts have to be in equal proportion to each other: aka North District has to represent same number of folks from Wards 4 and 7. They also have to roughly even throughout the city. This charter changes asks Legislature to give BTV voters to make our own decisions, rather than having to go through Legislature. Reason for this change: city missed a deadline for it getting onto March ballot, so it got kicked back a whole other year. Are there other examples of the need for this/other problems with it going through legislature? Councilor says no, mainly to make city more nimble. -Another Charter Change: prohibiting guns in places with liquor licences. It passed in 2017, but then it stayed in Legislature. So now we are asking again. There has been a bill introduced that may make this a law statewide, but in the meantime, City wants to bring this again. “Feedback rule:” These Charter Changes have been through City Council and have been approved by Mayor, and are now in the process of having public hearings around making changes to the language in the proposed legislation. Councilors cannot make changes to the language without a resident coming to propose a chance during a public hearing meeting. (Then Council would vote on a change brought by a motion that would be proposed by a resident.) BSD Budget Presentation by Kendra Sowers: Rep from NNE. Info about why Ed Spending is increasing even though Budget is decreasing. Why? Wages and benefits are a factor. Also, there is an estimated reduction in property taxes: roughly 4% lower than last year. One of the things that impact a reduced tax burden are the funding structure (aka how students are weighted). 2 years ago, the Legislature agreed to change those weights, based on UVM study with lots of data. The coalition lobbying for this in the Legislature included participants from all over the state. So this is now the first year that they new funding formula are being felt here in BTV: even though it was passed 2 years ago, last year’s school budget still saw an increase because of new high school cost. More complete info can be found at www.bsdvt.org/budget Updates to Requested Water Bond by Megan Moir: Full information can be found online in a more complete way: www.burlingtonvt.gov/2025waterbonds It can also be found through the website listed above for the General Operating bond page. Summary: Requesting 20m water bond and 152m Lake Bond on ballot. Because: capital investment is necessary and overdue, and will avoid more costly repairs that are inevitable if this maintenance is deferred. ● Could see a 89% rate increase over next 5 years, but this is consistent with the rates that communities like Montpelier and other New England communities pay. Important to note that we are currently at a much lower rate because we are so far behind on repairs and maintenance. ● Looking at ways to reduce the impact that this will have on renters and homeowners: - Any way to provide indirect utility assistance? There may be a way to do this via electric department. Looking at a program in Oregon that does this. Also looking at ways to expand eligibility - Other affordability measures: seniors and folks on fixed incomes can request assistance Megan requests and invites questions.

Agenda

Packet

Ward 4 & 7 Neighborhood Planning Assembly (NPA): Agenda Wednesday 22, 2025 6:00pm Join in person: **RELOCATED TO** Hunt Middle School Cafeteria 1364 North Ave, Burlington, VT 05408 Join virtually: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85494151752 Facilitator: Sarah Diaz Note Taker: Anne Lawson 6:00 Sign In & Food | 20 minutes  Turkey Pot Pie  Biscuits  Vegetable Pot Pie with garden-grown veges  Vegan Plum Snickerdoodle Cake 6:20 Welcome | 10 minutes 6:30 Public Forum | 5 minutes 6:35 Ashley Parker with Clerk Treasurer’s Office | 15 minutes  Share about a request for a $20M General Obligation Bond for the City’s General Fund Capital Program 6:50 Ric Cengeri with HomeShare Vermont | 15 minutes  Share what HomeShare has done over the last 42 years 7:05 Sarah Carpenter with City Council Updates on Charter Changes | 20 minutes 1. Redistricting 2. Allowing the City to Decide Ordinances for Rental Housing 3. Update Limit for Small Capital Projects 4. Election Boundaries 7:25 Monika Ivancic & Kendra Sowers with the NNE School Board | 20 minutes  Update on the FY’26 School Board Budget 7:45 Megan Moir with Dept of Public Works | 15 minutes  Sharing updates to the Water and Lake Bonds that were discussed last NPA meeting 8:00 Adjourn Ward 4 + 7 Steering Committee: To email the full steering committee: wards4-7npasc@googlegroups.com BTV Thrives Prioritizing Affordable Public Infrastructure January 2025 What to Expect Tonight • Introduction to General Fund Capital Budget • What is the Need? • What is the tax impact? • Next Steps General Fund Capital Budget 101 What is a Capital Project? • City Code of Ordinances: “A Capital Project is one funded wholly or in part by the City of Burlington and that involves construction, renovation or remodeling of buildings, structures, or parking facilities; street improvements; streetscape improvements; or park or recreational area construction or remodeling.” • Does not include routine repair or maintenance expenditures. • GF Capital INCLUDES: DPW, Parks, Facilities, Fire, Police, & Public Art Prioritizing Affordable Public Infrastructure What is the Need? Phase Three: $20M Bond on TMD 2025 Why do we need another bond now? 1. Without a bond the City’s Charter only authorizes $2M/year for capital expenses $20M GO Bond Spend-out Projection 2. To help ensure good governance the City Revenue Source FY26 FY27 FY28 needs approximately $8-10M/year for Annual CIP $2M $2M $2M critical infrastructure. $20M GO Bond $7M $6.5M $6.5M 3. Implementation costs for infrastructure needs do not get cheaper over time. • Non-Construction inflation is 10% higher Total Revenue $9M $8.5M $8.5M since 2022 • Construction inflation is 25% higher since 2022 Focusing on Critical Infrastructure General Fund Fleet Capital Assets: •City owns 242 Fleet Assets: 30% need to be replaced; 45% of those are critical public safety vehicles (fire, police, snow removal) •City deferred spending on Fleet in FY24 & 25 Better Sidewalks: •City has 133 miles of sidewalk – 3 miles should be replaced annually ($1M/mile) •17.2 miles are in serious/poor condition Focusing on Critical Infrastructure Better Streets: •City has 88 miles of street it owns & maintains – 4 miles should be paved annually ($1.2M/mile) •10.8 miles do not meet acceptable condition Transportation Safety: •3 Bridges are in Capital Plan for repairs/replacement (including Winooski Bridge) •$300K/year = 14 new transportation calming projects (hit 75% of community requests in 3 years) Focusing on Critical Infrastructure City Buildings: •City owns 19 buildings; at least $700K in deferred needs/building •$2M could support at least 3 buildings Parks: •There are 37 City Parks; at least $700K in deferred needs/park •$2M could support needs in at least 3 Parks Focusing on Critical Infrastructure Capital $20M DRAFT Allocations for 1st Priority Need (FY26-28)* Asset % of $20M Notes Fleet min 15% Gets City back to regular replacement schedule Sidewalks 25-35% With Street Capital supplement, would hit 3 mi/year Streets 25-35% With Street Capital supplement, would hit 4 mi/year Facilities 13-30% 13% could support deferred maintenance in the equivalent of 3 buildings Parks 6-10% 10% could support deferred maintenance in the equivalent of 3 parks Traffic Safety 1-3% With Street Capital supplement, 3% could hit 75% of community requests Local Matches 15-20% 20% would fully fund Winooski Bridge Local Match *Note: No capital asset is guaranteed funding as the General Fund Capital Budget needs to be flexible and responsive to emergent needs, while also ensuring equitable implementation of infrastructure. Prioritizing Critical Infrastructure NEW Capital Planning Map: https://bit.ly/BTVThrivesCapitalMap •Map depicts 6 years of GF Capital need across the City – no funding guarantees •Long-term Planning tool •Community Survey: https://bit.ly/BTVThrivesCapitalSurvey •Other City Prioritization Criteria: Accessibility, Affordability, Efficiency, Survey QR Code Equity, Sustainability, and Safety •Map can be found on City’s Town Meeting Day Website Map QR Code Prioritizing Affordable Public Infrastructure What is the Tax Impact? Investing Affordably and Transparently • Affordability is critical to the Administration, and we are working to balance responsible investment in City assets with ensuring Burlingtonians can afford their property tax bills. • The FY26 Budget Process is underway - with goals for efficiency and better planning of maintenance expenditures. • Capital Plan forecasts opportunity to leverage bond revenues with additional grants. $145M • Waiting won’t help – prices just go up & deferred maintenance $20M only gets worse and more expensive over time. Phase Three: Fitting in with Debt Policy • City recalculates existing debt annually per our policy • Due to growth of grand list and paying down principal & interest faster than originally projected, there is now $20M of debt capacity that has freed up Effect on Tax Bills • The $20M bond would be repaid $20M GO Bond Spend-out Projection through a small increase in municipal property taxes starting in FY26. Revenue Source FY26 FY27 FY28 • We anticipate the increase to be Annual CIP $2M $2M $2M approximately: $20M GO Bond $7M $6.5M $6.5M Assessed Monthly Home Value Expected Tax Total Revenue $9M $8.5M $8.5M Increase $300,000 $6.92 • The effect from this bond will not be $500,000 $11.58 more than the amount listed on this $700,000 $16.18 slide; it could be less over a payback $900,000 $20.83 period of 20 years. Next Steps 1. Continue community conversations including: • TODAY, 1/6: Town Hall in City Hall • visiting NPAs January-February 2025 2. BOF/CC Vote – January 3. Vote by Community – Town Meeting Day, March 4, 2025 Questions? Thank you! For more information, please contact Ashley Parker, Capital Program Director: aparker@burlingtonvt.gov. Burlington Water Resources Capital Planning Proposed March 2025 Bond Requests Town Hall Meeting January 6, 2025 WHY IS MORE INVESTMENT NEEDED? To provide reliable and sustainable drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services to the current and future Burlington Replace aged infrastructure that is at significant risk of failure Ensure that there is sufficient capacity for housing and other growth Improve resiliency against climate change Address safety/code upgrades to protect and retain workers 2026 > 50%-of 54% of systemss systems still at at C- grade or worse C or below without additional investment WHY IS MORE INVESTMENT NEEDED? To protect the Lake by meeting/exceeding our water quality improvement requirements Infrastructure resiliency and redundancy = meeting water quality standards = avoid preventable beach closures Reduce phosphorus discharges from Burlington and help VT meet the Lake Champlain TMDL Continue to reduce combined sewer overflows WWTP Improvements Project Burlington’s Committment to the Lake and Sustainable Housing Growth BURLINGTON’S 3 WASTEWATER PLANTS Improve and Modernize WWTFs for Resiliency Environmental Capacity Work safety Odors Burlington’s Ensure existing Improve ability to Increase capacity of Improve working Reduce off-site odors systems continue to meet water Main WWTF to conditions for City from Main WWTF Future function; Increase quality standards accommodate growth staff resiliency of critical for Lake within the community wastewater Champlain equipment through improved design and redundancy Reservoir Improvements Project Water Supply Resiliency for Burlington BURLINGTON’S DRINKING WATER RESERVOIR AND HIGH SERVICE PUMP STATION 7 Million Gallon Treated Drinking Water Storage Pump Station Originally Built in 1867 Expanded in 1888 and lined with brick/stone North Reservoir Covered in 1981 1867 Gate House Building In service as a Pump South Reservoir Station starting in early 1880s Pump Station THE RESERVOI R AND PUMP STATI ON ARE CRI TI CAL DRINKING WATER SUPPLY I NFRASTRUCTURE Pump Station pumps water to a higher elevation (water tanks) to efficiently provide sufficient pressure to properties generally east of Willard Street These pumps are REQUIRED for supplying water to the UVVMC and rest of high service area The reservoir itself is critical to providing Burlington High Service demand fluctuation and emergency storage for the rest of the City RISK REPORT CARD PUMP STATION AND RESERVOIR Conclusion 65% of systems are at a C grade or worse, with 42% at D (replacement needed in 1-3 years) or F (needs immediate replacement) This condition presents a great deal of risk for Burlington’s ability to supply water to the high service Water Resources Sustainable Infrastructure Plan: The 2025 LAKE & WATER bonds Original November Bond Proposal How does this phase of investment fit in with the overall plan? ctu re Risk ba ru st Capit s al P ed In fra O&M lan Stage 0 Stage 1 Stage 2 ning truction ning & Design Cycle of Water Cons Plan Construction in 2025 Main Wastewater Treatment Plant East and North Wastewater Infrastructure Headworks (all WWTP Highest priority resiliency projects Treatment Plants Investment plants) Capacity upgrades (for growth and East Consolidation of East Plant to Plant consolidation) Main Plan: including new force Completed main and conversion of East Tertiary phosphorus removal upgrade Fi it y Disinfection systems (all Odor reduction, safety and workplace WWTP to a pump station na nc or th in g u plants) Highest priority resiliency B o n din gA Improvements SCADA software (Main projects at North Plant Generator & building improvements Dewatering (TBD) Plant) Wastewater and Stormwater Flynn & Fletcher pump Collection System Stage 3+ stations Pine St CSO reduction strategies Drinking Water Plant Wastewater Plants 8.64 miles of storm and Satellite pump station improvements (next 3) Drinking Water Treatment Remaining resiliency/renewal needs at Main and sewer mains relined or Stormwater outfalls repairs Plant high priority North plants replaced Risk-based storm & sewer improvements comprehensive resiliency and Wastewater and Stormwater Collection System 9.29 miles of drinking Drinking Water Improvements upgrade projects (TBD 2025- Remaining sat. pump station improvements water mains relined or Key Water Treatment Plant resiliency projects 2026 study) Risk-based storm & sewer mains improvement New reservoir pump station and building replaced structural upgrade Stormwater outfall improvements Old North End and Pine Risk-based water distribution mains renewal Drinking Water Street CSO stormwater Emergency water supply interconnects Water Plant additional upgrades (as needed) reduction projects Risk-based water main renewal 2016 Water and 2018 Clean Water 2025 LAKE ($152M) and WATER ($20M) Bonds 2027 LAKE and WATER Bonds Future Bonds and/or Charter Borrowing Authority Resiliency Bonds TOWN MEETING DAY 2025: HOW MUCH $? Final TMD 2025 System Final Cost/Borrowing Determination Bond Request Determination of other funding for City transportation projects; Drinking Water $20 M Congressionally Delegated Spending Grant Award Final due dilgence on WWTP costs; Determination of other Wastewater $138 M funding for City Transportation Projects; Pollution Control Grants; NRBC grant; Pine Street CSO sewer separation final cost Pine Street CSO reduction final cost; Determination of other Stormwater $14 M funding for City transportation projects; Pollution Control Grants WATER, WASTEWATER, STORMWATER RATE IMPACTS Conservative estimate (based on best available information) of bill impacts: Does not include possible grant funding Does not include revenue from potential growth Final borrowing portfolio and availability of SRF loan will play a big role Includes Stage 2 Wastewater Treatment Plant costs East Plant Consolidation North Plant High Priority Resiliency Upgrades Debt service for included projects ramps up through FY2034, with the steepest rate increases in FY26 - FY 30. CURRENT RATEPAYER AFFORDABI LITY MEASURES “...an affordable water bill is one that the household can regularly and successfully pay on time without compromising its ability to meet other essential needs.” (NRDC Water Affordability Advocacy Toolkit) access to clean water RATE STRUCTURE Fixed Fee Waiver Low-income ADJUSTMENTS 65+ of aff ip ord sh Non-Profit Housing rd r a wa ate ure se bilit Lifeline rate tier on water side Organization ste w uct rvi yo ce str s f ra User class-based rates inf Rebates Sewer lateral inspections WaterSense fixtures Water Resources will work with City Council to develop additional affordability and assistance programs for implementation prior to significant debt issuance. SUMMARY Request for ballot items in March 2025 for Up to $20M WATER bond Water reliability Up to $152M LAKE bond Advancing water main replacement Treatment plant improvements Emergency supply contingency Capital investment is necessary for a resilient Reservoir upgrades Burlington with capacity for growth and a healthy Lake Champlain Leverage modern technology Advance & repair key infrastructure Keep our federal & state commitments Typical residential bill projected to increase Enhance water quality & worker safety approximately 89% over next 5 years, bringing it into the realm of some other New England communities’ projected annual bills THANK YOU. QUESTIONS? Megan Moir Division Director Water Resources mmoir@burlingtonvt.gov Martin Lee Water Resources Engineering Manager mlee@burlingtonvt.gov Chapin Spencer DPW Director (cspencer@burlingtonvt.gov) https://burlingtonvt.gov/2025waterbonds