HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - City Charter Committee - 03/08/2023AGENDA
SOUTH BURLINGTON CHARTER COMMITTEE South Burlington City Hall 180 Market Street SOUTH BURLINGTON, VERMONT
Participation Options In Person: 180 Market Street – Library Board Room – 2nd Floor – Room #201 Assistive Listening Service Devices Available upon request Electronically: https://meet.goto.com/SouthBurlingtonVT/city-charter-03-08-2023 You can also dial in using your phone. +1 (408) 650-3123 Access Code: 803-007-445
Wednesday March 8, 2023 4:00 P.M.
1. Welcome and Introductions
2.Agenda Review and Approval
3.Public comment on items not on the agenda
4. ***Approve minutes from the February 8, 2023 Charter Committee meeting
5.*** Discuss and finalize the advantages and disadvantages of different models to present tothe community
6.*** Discuss and finalize the Committee’s community outreach and engagement process
7.*** Discuss the timeline and make any adjustments needed
8.Other Business
9. Adjourn
CITY CHARTER COMMITTEE 8 FEBRUARY 2023
The South Burlington City Charter Committee held a meeting on Wednesday, 8 February
2022, at 4:00 p.m., in Conference Room 201, City Hall, 180 Market Street.
MEMBERS PRESENT: P. Taylor, Chair; Dr. T. Childs, A. Lalonde, D. Kinville, C. Hafter, P. Engels,
C. Higgins
ALSO PRESENT: J. Baker, City Manager, C. McNeil, City Attorney; M. Emery, M. Hoey
1.Welcome and Introductions:
Mr. Taylor welcomed members.
2.Agenda Review
No changes were made to the agenda.
3.Comments & Questions from the public not related to the Agenda:
No issues were raised.
4.Approve Minutes from the 26 January 2023 meeting:
Ms. Lalonde moved to approve the Minutes of 28 January 2023 as written. Dr. Childs seconded.
Motion passed with all present voting in favor.
5.Discuss and Finalize the Advantages and Disadvantages of different models to
present to the community:
Mr. Taylor reviewed the process.
1.5 City Councilors:
Advantages:
1.Less expensive to the city
2.Voting logistics simpler (1 per ward)
3.Compact group
4.More efficient meetings
5.Easier to communicate with City Manager
CITY CHATER COMMITTEE
8 FEBRUARY 2023
PAGE 2
6.Easier to find Councilors
Disadvantages:
1.Too much work for each Councilor
2.Meetings less diverse
3.Not sensitive to the whole city
4.Harder to get a quorum
5.Takes only 3 to dismiss a City Manager
6.May represent fewer perspectives or viewpoints
#2 More than 5 Councilors
Advantages:
1.More perspectives represented
2.More people to do the work
3.More Councilors able to vote if others need to be recused
4.Easier to get a quorum
5.Greater expertise among members, specialization
6.Allows members to miss meetings for family emergencies
Disadvantages:
1.More time commitment, including staff support
2.More difficult to reach consensus
3.Difficult to find more candidates
4.Subcommittees take more of Councilors time and create additional staff work
5.Council deliberations may get bogged down with more voices at the table
6.More voices, more conflict
7.The higher the number, the more likely to form factions
8.Possibly less efficient meetings
#3 Elected at Large:
CITY CHARTER COMMITTEE
8 FEBRUARY 2023
PAGE 3
Advantages:
1.All have a city-wide perspective
2.More points of contact for residents
3.Simpler voting system
4.Broader interest
Disadvantages:
1.Expense and time to campaign
2.Hard to find candidates
3.Difficult to represent all residents
4.May become unrepresentative of all the city
5.Possibility of unequitable geographic representation
#4 Elected by District
Advantages:
1.More affordable and less time campaigning for candidates
2.Residents more engaged with the Councilor at a neighborhood level
3.Wards could correspond to legislative districts
4.Your neighbor is on the Council
5.Councilors know localized issues
6.Smaller candidate pool; may encourage more candidates
Disadvantages:
1.May be difficult to find candidates to run in every Ward
2.Smaller candidate pool may lead to more candidates running unopposed
3.Potential to lose city-wide perspective
4.Redistricting could cause confusion
5.If House districts are used, good candidates may not be able to serve
6.Some current Councilors might not be able to serve
7.If more than 5 Councilors, confusing to have one per ward plus more “at large”
8.If Legislative boundaries are used to determine wards, the Legislature, not the city,
determines the boundaries
CITY CHARTER COMMITTEE
8 FEBRUARY 2023
PAGE 4
9.To be re-elected, you may have to prioritize your own ward
Members agreed to review all categories and then schedule a public session.
Members then considered School Board options, advantages and disadvantages.
#1. 5 Directors
Advantages:
1.Has served well for years
2.Voting logistics simpler, one per ward
3.Compact group
4.Competent members
5.Possibly more efficient meetings
6.Easier to arrange meetings
7.Easier to find candidates
Disadvantages:
1.Membership has been homogeneous and unrepresentative of its constituencies
(households and students)
2.Time constraints limit opportunity to focus on students
3.Challenge of coming to consensus
4.Challenge of having one representative speaking for a whole group of people
#2 More than 5 Directors
Advantages:
1.More perspectives at the table
2.More people to wo work/extra activities
3.Broader diversity of perspectives
4.Would allow a board member to focus on additional areas which could include
addressing concerns of students of color
CITY CHARTER COMMITTEE
8 FEBRUARY 2023
PAGE 5
Disadvantages:
1.Membership of the School Board has been homogeneous and not representative of
its constituencies (households and students)
2.Challenge of coming to consensus
3.Challenge of sole representative speaking for a whole group of people
4.Expending board may result in non-competitive elections (in the past, all 3
candidates were unopposed)
5.Need for additional Superintendent communication with additional directors
6.Discuss the Committee’s community outreach process:
Ms. Baker suggested March and April for community input. She suggested a “softer” approach
first (e.g., the gathering of input). Once there is a draft to go to the City Council, there should
be a formal public hearing.
Mr. Taylor suggested getting draft information to the public, possibly with a flyer. He also
suggested reaching out to existing groups: Mayfair Park, the Rotary, teacher groups, and other
organizations. Mr. Engels said Front Porch Forum is a good place to start putting information.
Members also noted The Other Paper. Ms. Baker agreed to bring in some scenarios for the
next meeting.
Ms. Lalonde suggested a simple survey on the City website.
10.Other Business:
No other business was presented.
As there was no further business to come before the Committee, Ms. Kinville moved to
adjourn. Mr. Engels seconded. Motion passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 6:00
p.m.
Charter Committee
Updated: 2/8/23
Key Questions? Options Pros/Advantages Cons/Disadvantages
Chief Executive?
Strong/
Administrative
Mayor
•Recognized leader of the city, Clear and visible
authority
•A clear point of contact for constituents
•Sets policy vision for City
•Identified person to move policy forward
•City resident elected by voters
•Can hire own staff which encourages innovations and
changes
•Better “lobbying” in Montpelier and DC.
•Easier for residents to understand system
•Available for citizen concerns
•Can be the spokesperson or ceremonial head for the
City
•Executive chosen from residents – not necessarily
professional qualifications
•Potential for governance to be seen as more
“Political” / potentially partisan
•Full-time job - could be a barrier to entry
•Would eliminate position of City Manager
•Could encourage endorsement by city employees
or employee groups which could be a conflict
with City policy
•Expensive citywide campaign
•Campaign donations with expected pay back in
policy
•Open possibilities of favoritism and nepotism in
return for contributions
•Can become entrenched
•Veto power can cause conflicts/supersede
council
•Could hire own staff for reasons other than
professional ability
City Manager •Selected based on professional qualifications,
expertise, experience as professional manager
•Continuity
•Efficiency
•Elected officials can focus on policy matters
•Serves at the pleasure of the City Council and can be
removed for poor performance
•Hires and fires professional staff
•Non-political position. Neutral decision maker
•Adds protection for Dept Heads and other employees
from political influence
•Stays current on managerial and financial issues
through continual education and professional
development
•Available for citizen concerns
•Potentially not connected to community
•City Council’s ability to remove a manager could
incur expense
•Has unelected authority
•May not implement policies as set by Council
•May not understand Council’s role as policy
setter
•May use the privileged position to try to
manipulate and control the City Council and may
form ‘favorites’ with Councilors
•Lack of citizen understanding of City Manager
system.
•Long-term employees may try to wait out City
Manager
Charter Committee
Updated: 2/8/23
Key Questions? Options Pros/Advantages Cons/Disadvantages
•Manager can speak for less represented members of
the community
Political Leader?
“Weak”/Policy
Mayor
•Clear point of contact for residents
•City resident elected by voters
•Visible recognizable leader
•Active chair of City Council
•Residents understand “mayor”
•Can be the spokesperson or ceremonial head for the
City
•Can help bring consensus to Council.
•Still have a professional City Manager
•Can be a part-time position so more people may be
willing to run
•Can provide support and guidance for
manager/organization
•City manager may have less authority
•Potential for Mayor/Council conflicts. Council
may not support policy Mayor
•Nature of the position possibly confusing to
voters
•Has little statutory power
•Expensive citywide election
•Mayor may not accept limited role and try to act
as an Administrative Mayor
•May not always be available for citizen concerns
Council Chair •Works to build consensus and hear from all councilors
•More of a team spirit than having a separate mayor
•Can be replaced every year by other members
•Encourages collaboration
•Provides many of same services as a weak Mayor
•Can provide support and guidance for
manager/organization
•Elected by council rather than the voters
•Citizen confusion over role
•May not be clear who is the spokesperson for the
City
•Potential for Chair/Manager conflict
•May not have sufficient political influence to get
maximum lobbying/grants/etc.
•Less of a clear point of contact for residents than
with a Mayor
Council
Composition?
5 Councilors •Less expensive for City
•Voting logistics simpler – one per ward
•Compact group (easier to do team building)
•Possibly more efficient meetings
•Easier to communicate with the city manager and
community with 5
•Easier to arrange meetings
•Easier to find candidates to serve
•Too much work for each Councilor
•May represent fewer perspectives
•Only takes 3 to dismiss manager
•Harder to get a quorum
Charter Committee
Updated: 2/8/23
Key Questions? Options Pros/Advantages Cons/Disadvantages
More than 5
Councilors
•More perspectives represented
•More people to do work/extra activities including
sub-committees
•Easier to get a quorum
•More Councilors able to vote if others need to recuse
themselves
•Possibly greater expertise among members,
specialization
•Allows members to miss meetings for family
emergencies
•More expensive, Cost per additional Councilor
including increasing staff support/time
commitment
•More difficult to reach consensus
•Difficult to find more candidates to serve
•Subcommittees take more of Councilors’ time
and create additional staff work
•Council deliberation could get bogged down
with more voices at the table
•More voices….more conflict
•The higher the number, the more likely to
form factions
•Possibly less time efficient meetings
Geographic
Representation?
Elected at
large
•All have a city-wide perspective
•More points of contact for residents
•Simpler voting system
•Broader interest
•Expensive and time consuming to run for at-large
elections
•It is tough to find candidates to run for Council at
large
•Difficult to represent all residents
•May be unrepresentative of all the city
•Possibility for unequitable geographical
representation
Elected by
ward
•More affordable and less time consuming for
candidates to campaign
•Residents more engaged with their Councilor at a
neighborhood level
•Wards could correspond to existing legislative
districts
•Your neighbor is on the Council
•Councilors know localized issues
•Smaller candidate pool – may encourage more
candidates
•May be difficult to find candidates to run in every
ward
•Smaller candidate pool – may lead to more
candidates running unopposed
•Potential to lose city-wide perspective
•Redistricting could cause confusion
•If wards are used, some candidates may not be
able to serve
•Some current councilors may not be able to serve
•If more than 5 councilors, confusing to voters to
have one per ward plus more at-large
Charter Committee
Updated: 2/8/23
Key Questions? Options Pros/Advantages Cons/Disadvantages
•If legislative boundaries determine wards, the
Legislature (not the city) determines the
boundaries
•To be reelected Councilors may have to prioritize
their own ward
South Burlington Board
of School
Directors Composition?
5 Directors •A five-person Board had served us well for years •Membership of the School Board has been
homogeneous and not representative of its
constituencies (households and students)
•Time constraints limit the opportunity to focus on
the students
•Challenge of coming to consensus
•Challenge of sole representatives speaking for a
whole group of people
More than 5
Directors
•More voices at the table
•More people to do work/extra activities
•Broader diversity of perspective
•Membership of the School Board has been
homogeneous and not representative of its
constituencies (households and students)
•Challenge of coming to consensus
•Challenge of sole representatives speaking for a
whole group of people
•Expanding the Board may result in non -
competitive elections (in the past, all 3
candidates were unopposed.)
•Need for additional superintendent
communication with 2 additional directors
•More expensive, Cost per additional Director
including increasing staff support/time
commitment
Overall questions for future discussion
•Should Councilors or a Mayor run representing a political party?
South Burlington Resident Public Notice
AGL DRAFT 2/18/2023
JCB AMENDED 2/28/23
•Should South Burlington Have a Mayor?
•Should South Burlington Expand its City Council and/or School Board?
•Should South Burlington Elect City Councilors and/or School Directors by
District? Or Should They Run City-Wide/At Large?
The South Burlington City Council has directed the City Charter Committee to
consider possible governance structures for the City. The Charter Committee has
embarked on a one-year project to compare various forms of city government,
seek public input, and respond with recommendations to the Council in
September of 2023. For any recommendations to become part of the City
Charter, the City Council must approve them, the City voters must vote to
approve the Council’s final version, the State Legislature must vote to amend the
Charter, and the Governor must sign that bill into law.
Before making any recommendations, the Charter Committee wants feedback
from City residents. It will conduct community forums in March and April and
seek feedback in less formal settings.
Current City Structure:
•South Burlington has 20,282 residents and is the 2nd largest city in the state
of Vermont.
•The City has five members on its Council, each elected at large by all
registered voters.
•The City has five members on its School Board, each elected at large by all
registered voters.
•The City consists of five Legislative Districts each having approximately
4,000? residents.
The Charter Committee has made preliminary observations on possible
governance structures. Residents may find them useful as a starting point for
providing feedback to the Committee. The spreadsheet (either use hyperlink or,
if in print, state “(available at ______________)”) explores the following current
and potential structural options and some possible advantages and disadvantages
of each option:
•A City Manager (current structure)
•An Administrative or Executive Mayor such as in the City of Burlington (acts
as CEO of the City)
•A Policy Mayor such as in the City of Rutland or Winooski (serves as Chair of
City Council), along with a City Manager
•A Council with five members elected at large (current structure)
•A Council with five members elected from legislative districts/wards
•A Council with more than five members elected at large
•A Council with more than five members, five elected from legislative
districts/wards and others elected at large
•A School Board with five members elected at large (current structure)
•A School Board with five members elected from legislative districts/wards
•A School Board with more than five members elected at large
•A School Board with more than five members, five elected from legislative
districts/wards and others elected at large
Next steps: After public input, the Charter Committee will prepare a draft of
recommended changes to the City Charter (if any). There will be a formal public
hearing to present and discuss that draft. For any recommendations to become
part of the City Charter, the City Council must approve them, the State Legislature
must vote to amend the Charter, and the Governor must sign that bill into law.
Ideas for public engagement
JCB 2/28/23
Post the above in the following places:
•City News
•Front Porch Forum
•The Other Paper
•City’s Website
•City’s Facebook Page
•Superintendent’s Newsletter
Provide a quick online survey with eight questions:
1.Executive Leadership – Do you prefer:
•A City Manager (current structure)
•An Administrative or Executive Mayor such as in the City of Burlington (acts
as CEO of the City)
•A Policy Mayor such as in the City of Rutland or Winooski (serves as Chair of
City Council), along with a City Manager
2.Executive Leadership – Why did you make this selection? (open ended
response)
3.City Council Composition – Do you prefer:
•A Council with five members (current structure)
•A Council with more than five members
4.City Council Districts – Do you prefer:
•A Council with members elected at large (current structure)
•A Council with members elected from legislative districts/wards and others
elected at large
5.City Council - Why did you make these selections? (open ended response)
6.School Board Composition – Do you prefer:
•A School Board with five members (current structure)
•A School Board with more than five members
7.School Board – Do you prefer:
•A School Board with members elected at large (current structure)
•A School Board with members elected from legislative districts/wards and
others elected at large
8.School Board – Why did you make these selections? (open ended response)
Hold Public Information/Engagement Sessions
Partners to approach:
•Rotary
•South Burlington Land Trust
•South Burlington Business Association
•City Policy Committees
•Library Trustees
•Others?
Evenings available for Engagement Sessions
•March 21, 23, 27, 30
•April 4, 5, 6, 10, 18, 24, 27
South Burlington Charter CommitteeProposed TimelineUpdated: 3/3/23Charge:Updated Timeline Task/OutcomeSpeakers9/14/2022*Consider and approve a timeline*Review data from other communities*Introduce Planning Commission charge10/12/2022 *Discussion on PC composition and legal options*Panel #1 ‐ Speakers on governance models*Start drafting pros/cons to key questions*"Weak Mayor" ‐ Kristine Lott, Winooski*Council‐Manager ‐ Bill Fraser, Montpelier11/9/2022 *Panel #2 ‐ Speakers on governance models*Continue drafting pros/cons to key questions*Discussion on Council's action on Planning Commission composition*"Policy" Mayor ‐ Anne Watson, Montpelier (unavailable)*"Executive" Mayor ‐ David Allaire, Rutland12/14/2022 *Discuss pros/cons and set public engagement efforts*Helen Riehle, Council Chair1/26/2023 *Discuss pros/cons of different models2/8/2023 *Discuss pros/cons of different models*Discuss public engagement events3/8/2023 *Finalize pros/cons of different models*Finalize public engagement eventsMarch and April4/12/23 regular meeting*Public engagement events5/10/2023 *Review data received*Provide direction to Legal to start drafting6/14/2023 *Review draft*Formulate set of recommendations7/12/2023 *Further discussion and finalize recommendations for public hearing8/9/2023 *Public hearing*Finalize recommendation to Council9/5/2023 *Present recommendations to Council*consider governance models, language updates, engage in a community feedback process, and prepare recommendationsfor the City Council no later than July 2023. *conducting a comprehensive public process to solicit feedback from South Burlington residents on governance models.*consider increasing the size of the Planning Commission for Town Meeting Day 2023