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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - City Charter Committee - 08/09/2023AGENDA 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/chartercommitteemeeting08-09- 2023 You can also dial in using your phone: +1 (872) 240-3311 Access Code: 807-985-565 Wednesday August 9, 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 July 12, 2023 meeting 5.Report on the School Board discussion 6.*** Review and possibly approve the Charter Committee Report to the Council 7.Discuss presentation to the City Council (potentially September 5th or 18th – to bedetermined by the Committee) 8.Other Business 9. Adjourn CITY CHARTER COMMITTEE 12 JULY 2023 The South Burlington City Charter Committee held a meeting on Wednesday, 12 July 2023, at 4:00 p.m., in Conference Room 201, City Hall, 180 Market Street. MEMBERS PRESENT: P. Taylor, Chair; A. Lalonde, D. Kinville, P. Engels, K. Bailey, C. Hafter, E. Fitzgerald ALSO PRESENT: J. Baker, City Manager, C. McNeil, City Attorney; M. Emery, D. Albrecht, S. Dooley, R. Doyle, B. Minier, C. McDonald, W. Holiman, L. Bailey, T. Bailey, M. Simoneau 1. Welcome and Introductions: Mr. Taylor welcomed Elizabeth Fitzgerald as a voting member representing the School Board. 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 22 June 2023: Ms. Kinville noted that on p. 2, she did not attend the Rotary meeting. She also corrected the spelling of her name on p. 1. Mr. Lalonde moved to approve the Minutes of 22 June 2023 as amended. Ms. Kinville seconded. Motion passed with all present voting in favor. 5. Discussion and possible action on the number of School Board members: Ms. Bailey said there is a School Board meeting coming up at which she will add an update to the Agenda. Mr. Taylor said the Charter Committee can come up with a decision, and if the School Board has another idea, the Committee can listen to that. Ms. Fitzgerald said she spoke with former School Board members who favored expansion of the Board due to the workload and the potential for conflicts with specific topics. Ms. Fitzgerald CITY CHARTER COMMITTEE 12 JULY 2023 PAGE 2 also felt it would be good to have a recommendation from the current School Board prior to creating a final report from this committee. Ms. Lalonde noted that in the survey, 60% of responders favored remaining at 5 members and 40% favored increasing that number. She also cited some increased interest in being on the School Board. Mr. Hafter expressed concern with people with “different agendas” trying to be on school boards. Mr. Holiman said that 8 members has worked on the boards where he has served. Mr. Doyle said there weren’t a lot of parents of school children responding to the survey. Ms. Dooley felt it was an immense amount of work for just 5 people. Mr. Taylor suggested members take a vote as to whether to increase the number of members of the School Board with the understanding they will consider the School Board's response. Ms. Fitzgerald moved that the City Charter Committee recommend the expansion of the membership on the School Board with the understanding that the Committee will reconsider based on the School Board’s response. Ms. Lalonde seconded. The motion passed with all present voting in favor. Members questioned whether to recommend a number or leave that up to the Council and School Board. Ms. Fitzgerald suggested looking for a recommendation from the School Board. Members agreed the number would not necessarily have to be the same for both boards. 6. Discussion and possible action on the number of City Councilors: It was noted that in the survey 54% of responders favored leaving the Council at 5 members. 46% favored having more than 5. Ms. Kinville noted that if there are more members on the City Council that would also increase the number of people on the Board of Civil Authority who are available to help at elections. Ms. Lalonde said she would favor expansion to get more diversity of representation. CITY CHARTER COMMITTEE 12 JULY 2023 PAGE 3 Mr. Hafter said he has worked with 3, 5, and 7 member Councils. 5 and 7 work well. Ms. Fitzgerald said that while 5 works well, the issue she sees is geographic representation. She questioned whether it would be possible to get a more diverse representation with more members. She saw an opportunity to foster knowledge for new members. Ms. Kate Bailey said she would favor expansion. Ms. Linda Bailey said the demographic issue is the big need. She would favor more members as long as voting is not at large. She also noted how daunting and expensive it is to run for the City Council now. Mr. Holiman said it is a lot of work, and it would be good to have more people to do it. Ms. Dooley felt it would be good to get more people involved in the work of the city. She cited that added work of Councilors who serve as liaisons to other city committees. Mr. Doyle said South Burlington is a large municipality, and smaller communities have more Councilors. He noted that in order to interview candidates for committee appointments, the Council had to work in subgroups. Mr. Simoneau said he supported expansion of the Council. Mr. Albrecht said the most important reason for expansion is the growing community. Mr. Bailey said it is hard to think outside the box the city is in. He felt the issue is be more representative. He favored 10 Council members elected from 5 districts with 2 at large. Mr. Engels noted that only 3 members of the current City Council have “institutional memory.” Ms. Emery said that Council membership is not a burden for her. She said the Chicago ward system is corrupt. She felt 7 members wouldn’t evoke a lot of competition, and competition is good. She felt with 7 members you could get people with ulterior motives. Mr. Engels moved that the City Charter Committee recommend the expansion of the number of City Councilors. Ms. Lalonde seconded. Motion passed 5-1 with Mr. Hafter opposing and the Chair not voting. CITY CHARTER COMMITTEE 12 JULY 2023 PAGE 4 7. Discussion and possible action on wards or districts for the School Board: Mr. Fitzgerald noted that in the survey, 53% favored voting at large and 48% favored another method. She personally favored at large and noted that finding new talent will require a community effort. She added that anything that goes to the Legislature should have a solid rationale, and she hadn’t heard that yet. Ms. Kate Bailey did not favor a ward system. She felt there hadn’t been an updated conversation as yet. Mr. Doyle asked whether the Committee has looked at where past and present School Board members life. Ms. Lalonde showed a map indicating this. Mr. Engels noted that the School Board does not have the same “big money” problem the City Council has had. Mr. Bailey said a more representative system is better and favored a ward system as more representative. Ms. Dooley said she would support a ward system for the City Council; she was not sure about the School Board. She didn’t feel they would have to be the same. Ms. Emery suggested having people running from all districts but voting at large. Mr. Hafter said he worked under such a system, and the intent was not to have diversity. Mr. Minier said he could see the value of having people from different parts of the city. Housing is different. Transportation is different. He said the value of wards for both City Council and School Board, more for the Council. Ms. Kate Bailey then moved that the Committee recommend maintaining at large voting for the School Board. Ms. Fitzgerald seconded. Motion passed with all present voting in favor. 8. Discussion and possible action on wards or districts for the City Council: It was noted that in the survey, 37.3% favored voting at large, 32.9% favored legislative districts only, and 29.75% favored 5 legislative districts and the remainder at large. Mr. Engels noted that only 37% percent of responders wanted to keep all voting at large. CITY CHARTER COMMITTEE 12 JULY 2023 PAGE 5 Ms. Kinville said she favored at large because of the costs and the potential change of Legislative districts every 10 years. She also noted there could be years when a ward wasn’t voting for a City Councilor, and voters might not understand that. Ms. Fitzgerald said it was clear from the survey that neighborhoods want to be heard from. She questioned whether there is a different way to accomplish that. She felt the Committee cannot ignore the survey results. Mr. Hafter noted that now he gets to vote for 5 City Councilors; with a ward system, he would vote for only one. He thought there might be other ways to get diversity. He also noted that not every Legislative district is entirely in South Burlington. Ms. Kate Bailey acknowledged the survey results. She felt people deserved a change. She was open to the ward question being put to the voters though she was not convinced that a geographic difference would guarantee diversity. She also would like to look at electing the Planning Commission and Development Review Board and at ranked choice voting. Ms. Lalonde said you can never guarantee diversity. She was not worried about voting districts changing. She asked if everything is fine, why is the Committee having this discussion. She thought 5 districts and 3 at large would be interesting. Mr. Engels favored a ward system. He noted that 4 of the 5 current Council members come from the Southeast Quadrant (SEQ). If the Council goes to a 7 person board, that could be 6 of the 7 from the SEQ. He noted that South Burlington is the second largest city in the State, but he did not see a corrupt Chicago atmosphere in the city. Ms. Emery said you don’t have to spend close to $20,000 to be elect3ed, just talk to people, door to door, and be honest. She said she prefers neighborhood forums instead of voting by wards. She felt wards would create a situation in which people “seem to be bought.” Ms. Kate Bailey moved that rather than having the Committee make a recommendation at this meeting, they recommend the City Council further consider changes to the Council by studying a ward system, ranked voting system, election of a Planning Commission and Development Review Board and other representation for neighborhoods. There was no second to this motion. CITY CHARTER COMMITTEE 12 JULY 2023 PAGE 6 Ms. Kinville asked whether the State, through the city’s charter, allow the restriction of campaign spending. Mr. McNeil said he would have to research that before providing an answer. Ms. Fitzgerald said she felt there should be further City Council consideration of wards. She was not sure about the rest of Ms. Bailey’s motion. Mr. Engels asked if there is support on the City Council for wards. Ms. Emery said “not that I know.” Ms. Linda Bailey said wards are important, and South Burlington is not Chicago. Different areas of the city have different incomes and different issues. Mr. Bailey thought Ms. Kinville was jumping ahead. If you want a more representative form of government, you have to go wot a ward system. He urged the Committee to look to the future. Mr. Doyle did not feel Ms. Emery’s comments regarding Chicago were appropriate here. He noted that many communities in Vermont have wards. The larger a voting district is, the more it favors money, and it is a form of disenfranchisement. He felt a ward of partial ward system was essential. Mr. Albrecht handed out demographic information. He cited the city’s growing populations, and the knowledge of where that growth is occurring. He said the city is not monocultural. He also cited the need to be responsive and prepared for the future by making government more open to people. He acknowledged that wards don’t guarantee diversity, but he felt that he is now being taxed without representation.. Mr. Holiman said ranked voting could positively influence many items on the table now. Ms. Dooley rejected the “if it ain’t broken don’t fix it” notion. She said she comes from the “how to make it better” point for view. She said that people’s comments on feeling not represented really touch her. She noted that “diversity” permeates the City’s Comprehensive Plan, and it should permeate city government as well. She added that she contacts representatives that don’t technically represent her, and she has never been told not to contact them. She knows Burlington City Council people who listen to people from other districts then vote on what is best for the whole city. CITY CHARTER COMMITTEE 12 JULY 2023 PAGE 7 Ms. Kate Bailey said the conversation needs to continue. She said she would leave a decision up to the voters. Mr. Minier agreed with Ms. Bailey. Ms. Emery said the city is professionally run. The City Council reviews what the professional staff provides to it. She felt there was a nice balance and didn’t the Council “being the engine.” She thought South Burlington was very well run. Mr. Minier said he felt you would get “more Meaghan Emerys” through a ward system. Mr. Hafter then moved that on the question of whether the city should elect City Councilors through a ward system, the Committee report that it could not reach a consensus. Mr. Engels seconded. Mr. Engels questioned why this is being kept from the voters. Ms. Kate Bailey was concerned that if the Committee didn’t make it clear they want the conversation to continue, it won’t. She asked to amend the motion to include the following words after the word “consensus”: “…on whether to keep the status quo or amend the system.” Ms. Lalonde seconded that amendment. In the vote that followed the amended motion passed with all present voting in favor. 9. Discussion of other items for possible consideration: public campaign financing, ranked choice voting, or other ideas: Mr. Taylor recommended including those items with no recommendation, stating that they were a part of the discussion. Mr. Hafter asked to include non-citizen voting. Mr. Engels asked to include having all candidates on one ballot and having the top 2 elected. Ms. Emery said it is hard to get people to run in areas with entry level housing. She didn’t think it was feasible. 10. Discussion of the final report to Council and timeline: Mr. Taylor suggested trying to draft a report in August. CITY CHARTER COMMITTEE 12 JULY 2023 PAGE 8 Ms. Baker asked if the Committee wanted the City Attorney to draft language on expanding the boards for the next meeting. She said they could leave an actual number blank. Mr. McNeil said the draft would have to include the terms as well. Mr. Taylor said it may be a little early for language. 11. Other Business: The next meetings will be on 9 August and 13 September. As there was no further business to come before the Committee, Mr. Engels moved to adjourn. Ms. Fitzgerald seconded. Motion passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 6:05 p.m.    1 DRAFT – South Burlington City Charter Committee Recommendations to the City Council City Council’s Direction to the Charter Committee As part of the South Burlington City Council’s Fiscal Year 2022 Policy Priorities and Strategies, the Council identified consideration of “charter changes related to governance” as a priority. The Council passed a resolution on February 22, 2022, convening the Charter Committee to consider updates to the City’s municipal charter. The resolution stated that the Council wanted “to explore governance structures to ensure that voices are equitably represented at policy making tables.” It also sought to be sure the South Burlington School Board was represented in the governance discussions. The Council then requested that the School Board appoint two of its members to the Charter Committee. The Council charged the Charter Committee with considering governance models and language updates to the city charter. It directed the committee to “engage in a community feedback process” to “solicit feedback from South Burlington residents on governance models.” The Council asked that the committee finish its work by July 2023. Overview of Charter Change Process In order to amend the City Charter, the Charter Committee first recommends any changes to the City Council. The Council can approve, amend, or reject the recommendations, which, if approved, then go before the South Burlington voters. If the voters approve the recommendations, the changes then go to the State Legislature for a vote and, if approved, to the Governor for signature. Charter Changes Considered The Charter Committee considered different options for Chief Executive of the City:  A City Council/City Manager system (currently the South Burlington model)  A City Council/City Manager system with a policy or “weak” mayor who serves as City Council Chair but has no executive function  An administrative or “strong” mayor system where the mayor is the CEO of the city The Committee also considered the composition of the City Council and the School Board. Section 13.302 of the City Charter limits City Council and School Board membership to 5 members each. The Committee looked into whether that number is still viable for each body or whether it should be increased for one or both. In addition, the Committee studied the question of whether the City's voters should continue to elect City Councilors and School Board Directors at large or whether it would recommend moving to a “ward” or district system or a hybrid system of some elected at large and some elected by ward. After a brief discussion of increasing the number of members of the City Planning Commission from 7 to 9, which would require a charter change, the Committee asked the    2 Planning Commission to assess this idea. It did so, voting 5 to 1 with one abstention to maintain the status quo and stay with 7 members. Those in the majority felt that 9 members could be unwieldy and “counterproductive.” Council Liaison Emery brought the issue back to the City Council to see if they wanted the Charter Committee to continue pursuing it, and she reported that the Council saw no reason to counteract the Planning Commission’s decision to remain at 7 members. This topic was then tabled with no further action by the Charter Committee. The Committee also looked at language changes to make the charter gender neutral. However, the legislature had already modernized the charter’s language in 2021 without the city’s involvement, requiring no action by the Committee. Charter Committee Process  Interviews on governance structure The Charter Committee interviewed four Vermont experts on different forms of city governance:  Montpelier City Manager Bill Fraser on the council/manager form of government (12 October 2022)  Winooski Mayor Kristine Lott on the policy/“weak” mayor form of government (12 October 2022)  Rutland Mayor David Allaire on the administrative/“strong” mayor form of government (9 November 2022)  South Burlington City Council Chair Helen Riehle on the council/manager form of government (14 December 2022) Committee members asked these individuals a variety of questions related to their specific position, including:  How long they had served in the position  What qualifications they felt were needed to serve in the position  Their thoughts on the various forms of governance the committee was considering (pros and cons)  Their thoughts on the best size for City Councils  Their thoughts on the use of political affiliations in campaigning for office  How each described their management practice and their role (or not) as “face of the city”  Their thoughts on at-large vs ward systems  The hours they committed to their city position and the salaries or stipends they were paid  The cost of campaigning  Any additional thoughts on city government structure Their thoughts and comments can be reviewed in the Charter Committee meeting minutes.    3  List of pros and cons The Committee worked hard creating and rewriting a list of possible advantages/pros and disadvantages/cons for each possible charter change, including the status quo. That chart appears at the end of this recommendation.  Community outreach – survey, forums, other meetings The Committee engaged in community outreach to determine the views of South Burlington citizens on the governance structures we were considering. It deliberated on the questions we were trying to answer and developed a community survey that allowed votes for the different options as well as the opportunity to provide open-ended responses. City Manager Jessie Baker developed a document with a message from the Charter Committee, the Committee’s list of pros and cons, and a link to the survey. See https://www.southburlingtonvt.gov/government/city_committees_boards/2023_city_charter_com munity_feedback.php. The survey was publicized in the online City News newsletter, three editions of the Other Paper, and Front Porch Forum emails. Fliers were posted at City Hall to encourage people to take the survey. The South Burlington Business Association advertised our desire for feedback and our survey at one of their membership meetings. Jessie Baker collated the community survey results, which were posted on the above website. The committee held two community forums, Wednesday, May 10 and Thursday, May 25, from 7-9 p.m. in the City Hall auditorium. The forums were recorded and the videos appear on the website given above. Committee members also spoke with parents at PTO meetings and with members at a Rotary meeting. At each of the meetings, the committee chair encouraged attendees to share the survey and their own thoughts on the governance structures with their neighbors after the meeting. Review of public input and feedback  Forums May 10, 2022 and May 25, 2022 - Brief review of comments made:  Concern of using legislative districts as wards because legislative districts may not be current in the actual distribution of the City population and they will change every ten years due to the census  Wards vs at-large representation (this was a topic of significant and diverse discussion)  Possibility of electing Planning Commission members was raised  Support for a non-partisan system was a consistent theme. Residents expressed concern over having elections involving political party candidates. (this concern was consistent at hearings, in forums and in survey responses)  At the May 10 meeting, in a straw vote ½ attendees favored wards and ½ at-large representations    4  The Chair of the Board of Civil Authority requested expansion of the size of the BCA if possible. This was based on his perspective that the BCA members would support this expansion.  Concern that expanding the School Board may not generate a sufficient number of candidates  The concept of Ranked Choice voting in various formats was mentioned  The Mayor form of government was not supported by the majority of commentors  The possibility of elections in November with larger voter turnout was expressed Minutes from the public input sessions are attached to the agendas for the June 22 meeting of the Charter Committee.  Survey There were 175 responses to the Charter Committee survey. Ninety-eight percent of the respondents were South Burlington residents from a variety of districts though not in equal numbers (24% from CHI-8, 17% from CHI-9, 14% from CHI-10, 16% from CHI-11, 27% from CHI-12). Eighteen percent of respondents said they had attended a community meeting on the charter issues. Eighty-five percent said they had reviewed the Committee’s spreadsheet of pros and cons. Seventy-seven percent of respondents did not have children in the city’s schools. (Note: the survey was not designed or intended to be a statistically valid survey.) For the Chief Executive question, 64% preferred the City Manager form of government, 19% wanted to see an executive mayor, and 17% favored a policy mayor. For City Council, 54% preferred a City Council of 5 members and 46% wanted to increase that number. For those wanting to increase the number, many comments suggested 7 councilors, while a few mentioned 8, 9, or 10. Regarding voting districts for City Council, 37% favored continuing to vote at large, 32% favored electing members from the five legislative districts, and 29% favored a combination of at large and districts. For School Board, 60% favored the current number of School Board Directors and 40% preferred increasing that number. For those wanting to increase the number, many comments suggested 7 School Board members, while a few mentioned 10. Regarding voting districts for School Board, 53% favored voting for School Board Directors at large, 24% preferred election by legislative districts, and 24% preferred a combination of at large and districts. Many respondents provided written comments in their survey responses. These comments were consistent with input from the hearings. The survey results and written comments can be found at the link at the end of this report.  Comments at Regular Committee Meetings Many of those who attended the Committee’s regular meetings advocated in favor of a ward system. They argued that election by wards would lead to broader participation by South Burlington citizens and ensure that the Council is more responsive to the concerns of all citizens.    5 Though it would not guarantee diversity, these commenters believed that election by district would make it more likely for all citizens to have a voice at the City Council. South Burlington resident Dan Albrecht prepared a handout for the Committee with demographic information on each of the census tracts. The handout also showed South Burlington’s legislative districts overlaid with a map of single-unit and multi-unit housing in the city. Dan suggested South Burlington could draw our own voting districts without difficulty. He distributed another handout to the Committee showing the demographics of South Burlington’s four census districts with data from the 2020 census, highlighting the different median incomes and rates of poverty in the districts. The comments of members of the public can be reviewed in the Charter Committee meeting minutes. Recommendations of the Charter Committee  Chief Executive Based on public feedback, the Committee found that South Burlington citizens did not want to make a change from the current form of government. In the survey, 64% preferred the City Manager form of government. The Committee concurred and decided not to continue consideration of the different options for chief executive.  City Council The Committee voted unanimously to increase the number of City Councilors. An increase could increase demographic representation and would allow councilors to mentor newer members. In the survey, 54% preferred a City Council of 5 members and 46% wanted to increase that number, close to the same. Should the City Council agree to an expansion of the number of Councilors, the Charter Committee would be interested in exploring the appropriate number. The Committee could not reach a consensus on whether councilors should be elected by district, at large, or some combination of the two (five by district and two at large, for example). Regarding voting districts for City Council, in our survey, 37% favored continuing to vote at large, 32% favored electing members from the five legislative districts, and 29% favored a combination of at large and districts. (Many comments suggested that wards should be different from the legislative districts.) We recommend that the City Council further consider the possibility of voting for councilors by wards, but the Committee did not agree on whether to recommend the change. Some felt that diverse representation could be encouraged by the use of wards. Four out of five City Councilors currently live in the city’s Southeast Quadrant, and moving to voting by wards would mean that different areas of the city are represented on the council. Many people do not feel represented in city government and a ward system could lead to increased accountability and representation, as well as a more inclusive government with diverse ideas. A ward system could also lead to lower costs for campaigns, as at large campaigns have become very expensive.    6 Some believe that the council should put a ward system on the ballot for the voters to choose. Moving to wards with an expanded number of council members would involve a great deal of consideration, particularly if the boundaries of the wards differ from the legislative district boundaries. Issues would include the number of wards and geographic considerations, the frequency of revising ward boundaries when population shifts occur, and polling locations and staffing. Others felt that a change to wards was unnecessary because all councilors represent the entire community and understand issues facing all citizens in South Burlington. Councilors from different wards may be too interested in their own ward’s issues, to the exclusion of the good of the city. That may lead to “horse trading” in the city council. Further, it may be difficult to find candidates in each ward who are willing to serve. Some comments expressed concern about using legislative districts for city elections because they are subject to change every ten years, with input and recommendations by the City Board of Civil Authority but ultimately determined by the legislature. The consensus in the Committee, however, is that, if wards were used, it would be too confusing for voters for the city to create different wards, distinct from the legislative districts. In addition, city-created wards would likely have to change periodically too, due to new data and ultimately approved by the Legislature.  School Board The Committee voted unanimously to increase the number of School Board Directors. While 60% of survey respondents favored the current number of School Board Directors, only a quarter of total respondents had children in the South Burlington schools. The Committee had heard from past School Board Directors in favor of an increase. The School Board works in committees that negotiate with teachers, administrators, and staff, and five people is not enough to do that work without being a substantial burden. The addition of more Directors could increase engagement and involve diverse perspectives. The Committee does not recommend a particular number of Directors. The Committee also voted unanimously to continue electing Directors at large. In the survey, 53% favored voting for School Board Directors at large, 24% preferred election by legislative districts, and 24% preferred a combination of at large and districts. Directors all represent a single school district with a state-mandated curriculum and school issues are not localized. These issues are on the agenda for the August 2 School Board meeting, and any final recommendation must take into account the views of current School Board Directors. To be discussed at the Charter Committee’s August 9th meeting.  Further Recommendations The Committee discussed other means of addressing concerns about under-representation of certain areas or demographics in city government. One option was alternative election    7 methods such as ranked-choice voting or instant runoff voting. Another creative option might be, if a two-year term and a three-year term were on the ballot, the top vote-getter could have the three-year seat and the individual with the second most votes could have the two-year seat. The Committee believes these options should or could receive further consideration. Another option could be a form of public campaign financing to reduce spending and the influence of money in local elections and level the playing field for candidates. However, the City Attorney advised the Committee that this would be very difficult to do at a city level. Appreciation The Charter Committee thanks City Manager Jessie Baker for her truly invaluable assistance with this process and City Attorney Colin McNeil for his good counsel throughout. The Committee also acknowledges Councilor Meaghan Emery, our Council Liaison. Attachments:  Pros/Cons document  Charter Committee handout seeking public feedback (attached to Jessie’s May 3 email to the committee)  Dan Albrecht’s one-page handout on Demographics of South Burlington’s 4 Census Districts  Elizabeth Fitzgerald’s letter on behalf of former School Board Directors  Link to synopsis of survey data (including written comments)