Burlington, Vermont voters will go to the polls on Tuesday in a special election to decide two ballot questions. The city council held a special public information session this week to review the questions.
There are no individuals seeking office on Tuesday’s ballot. The special election asks Burlington voters if they want to approve two bonds.
The first would authorize the City Council to issue $40 million in general obligation bonds to continue infrastructure improvement projects in the city’s 10-year capital plan. Capital Improvements Program Manager Martha Keenan explained the city is half-way through the decade long plan. If the revenue bond is approved, she says it will help the city leverage opportunities with the American Rescue Plan and the federal infrastructure bill.
“It also allows us to address areas that are not covered under those opportunities. In particular we have three fire trucks and we have our public safety infrastructure which is at end of life and is approximately $4.3 million. Ten million of this bond will go towards looking at a solution for Memorial Auditorium. It will go towards our facilities which have a lot of deferred maintenance.”
Former Public Works director and former city engineer Steve Goodkind asked for clarification if the bond is for new projects or to complete projects originally funded at the start of the 10-year plan.
“Is this new money funding something different or are we finding things that didn’t done or is it money moved around and some things didn’t get funded last time and now we’re funding them? It’s pretty confusing when you try to make sense of it.”
Keenan explained that some projects are new and others are continuing projects including deferred maintenance.
“We proposed and showed to the public a 10-year but said we could only fund the first five years."
Goodkind asks, "Is this one a 10 or a five?"
Keenan tells him, "This is actually a three year. We are trying to be more realistic and responsible by doing a three year plan.”
The second question asks voters to approve the issuance of revenue bonds up to $20 million for improvements to electric and energy conservation systems in order to advance the city’s Net Zero Energy goal.
Burlington Electric Department General Manager Darren Springer says the Net Zero Energy Revenue Bond would significantly invest in the reliability of the city’s electric system while advancing the community’s progress towards its net zero energy goal of eliminating fossil fuel use in the thermal and transportation sectors by 2030.
“The revenue bond would invest in four key areas first being the electric grid. We would have a $7 million investment focused primarily on reliability. In addition we would invest another $5.3 million in the grid in order to accommodate new electric uses. We also would invest through the revenue bond $3.9 million in technology systems, $2.2 million in maintenance of our electric generating facilities. And then lastly we would make a capital investment in a variety of net zero energy technologies.”
Springer added that those investments, if the Net Zero Energy Revenue bond is approved, will save ratepayers money.
“Over the long term there is revenue return that would help to pay for the debt service on the revenue bond.”
The Burlington city clerk/treasurer’s office has mailed absentee ballots to all active, registered voters. Outdoor drop boxes are available at five locations until 4:30 Monday afternoon and can be dropped off at polling sites on Election Day December 7th. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
