The Burlington, Vermont City Council reviewed a number of potential ordinance changes and heard a presentation on needed upgrades to the city’s water and wastewater infrastructure at this week’s meeting.
Among the first items to come before the council was a presentation from the Public Works Department on needed water and wastewater upgrades and significant funding that would be required as a result.
DPW Director Chapin Spencer told councilors the last comprehensive investment in the city’s water and wastewater infrastructure was 30 years ago and most of the equipment has a useful life of about 20 years.
“Unfortunately we are on borrowed time. Too many components of our wastewater, water and stormwater systems are at risk of failure,” reported Spencer. “Regrettably there are no easy options here, only hard decisions. We’ll be sharing information about the stark reality of our infrastructure, the cost to upgrade which is in excess of $200 million.”
Following the presentation, councilors expressed concerns over how the DPW request would affect taxpayers, especially following millions of dollars in bonding for a new high school. Ward 6 Democrat Becca Brown McKnight said she understands the urgency but they need to address the size of the funding DPW says is required.
“I do think we need to kind of double click on the shocking size of these numbers and address how did we get here and how did it get so bad and so big,” McKnight said. “And you know it just feels like so many requests that come out of DPW are all urgent and all cost tens, fifties, hundreds of millions of dollars. This one is twice our city’s annual budget.”
During public comment former city councilor Sharon Bushor said taxpayers cannot afford this along with other expenses.
“We know we need more money for public safety and now we have this. Unless you give as a Christmas gift to every residence some seeds for a money tree I’m very concerned about the impact it’s going to have,” quipped Bushor. “What we need and what we can afford are oftentimes two different things.”
No action was taken regarding the water and wastewater upgrade report.
Among the other items councilors considered was an amendment to a city ordinance regarding graffiti.
South District Democrat Joan Shannon explained.
“When we sent this to the ordinance committee I think that there were a couple sentiments expressed by city councilors which was one, that we want an enhancement for kind of hate speech and also a sentiment that we want better enforcement of our graffiti and defacement of property regulations,” recalled Shannon.
Councilor McKnight felt the proposed changes did not adequately address enforcement.
“If we change this ordinance without changing the way that we enforce it, we change nothing. And the truth is we’re not enforcing the laws that we already have when it comes to graffiti and vandalism,” McKnight pointed out. “So I’d like to move to postpone this item to allow for more time to discuss this enforcement component of the plan that the administration shared about an hour before this meeting.”
The motion to postpone was approved on an 8 to 4 vote.
Councilors also considered a first reading of an ordinance change that would significantly increase fees to landlords owning vacant buildings in disrepair or causing blight. Central District Progressive Melo Grant supports the proposal, with come concerns.
“Some of these fees are too low,” Grant asserted. “We’ve had multiple incidents where vacant buildings are being broken into and there’s a lot of drug activity and it’s not safe for buildings to go so long being vacant. If the property owner can’t show that there’s some kind of plan I just don’t think these are high enough fees to motivate people.”
Councilors voted unanimously to refer the measure to the ordinance committee.
