TRUST THE CHIEF: Burlington residents said no to a citizen-led police oversight body on Town Meeting Day, leaving that disciplinary responsibility up to Police Chief Jon Murad.
Burlington residents on Tuesday rejected a movement pushing for a citizen-led police oversight body with disciplinary powers, and they did so with 63% of the vote. However, voters approved noncitizen voting and ranked-choice voting.
No to an independent police oversight committee
The vote against a citizen-led police oversight body is a rejection of the advocacy work of about a dozen liberal-leaning entities, including ACLU of Vermont and Migrant Justice, among others. The decision may mend relations somewhat between the police department and the public following a move by City Council in 2020 to slash staffing by about 30%.
Yes to non-citizen voting in local elections
On other ballot items, 68% of voters said yes to allowing noncitizens to vote in city elections. Burlington follows Winooski and Montpelier, which established noncitizen voting.
Yes to ranked-choice voting
Voters approved ranked-choice voting with 64% of votes cast. This new system of voting involves having voters rank all the candidates in order of preference. If no candidate gets a majority of votes, then the candidate with the fewest first-place votes is eliminated and those votes go to the second-place candidates.
No to bypassing the City Council for public referendums
About 53% of voters said no to allowing residents to bypass City Council and draft their own ordinances to be placed on the ballot during elections.
About 73% of voters voted yes to making proposed changes to the city’s districts.
Yes to a carbon impact fee
About 67% of voters said yes to a “carbon-impact fee” to be applied to new buildings that choose to install heating systems that emit carbon dioxide. This means Burlington residents and business owners may have to absorb these new costs if the builders wish to cover these fees in their billing.
The proposal calls for “a carbon pollution impact fee starting at $150 per ton for new construction buildings that install fossil fuel thermal energy systems and for existing commercial and industrial buildings 50,000 square feet or larger when the building is installing fossil fuel thermal energy space conditioning or domestic water heating systems instead of using renewable systems.”
Michael Bielawski is a reporter for True North. Send him news tips at bielawski82@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @TrueNorthMikeB.
It appears that Burlington. has gone out of the Frying Pan
and into the Fire!
With regard to non-citizen voting: Does it allow ILLEGAL ALIENS to vote?
With regard to rank choice votting: If I mark my first place choice as my second and third choice will that improve his/her chances?
Anyone who is on any police advisory or oversight group should be required to do a week of ride along every 6 weeks. They must take place with different officers and during different shifts. You can’t understand the job unless you experience it.
Carbon Impact Fee?? Wow! What are we doing to freedom?? It is the choice of the owner to use what ever energy source they want! You can’t force people to do what is wrong! Not everyone wants a battery operated car either! Stop for Heavens sake! Stay out of other peoples business!!
We let illegal immigrations that can’t read or write English to obtain a drivers license. And no they can vote??? What does illegal mean to the rest of you?? Non resident voters, other state residents, visitors, tourists and the Mexican mafia will be voting and making all of our decisions for us now!
Wow, I cannot believe this ” boondoggle ” didn’t pass the liberals in Burlington
that hate and will do anything to push that agenda !!
But again the liberals got their way with another ” boondoggle ” non-citizen voting,
wait until the next election, and what nonsense gets passed, hard-working tax
paying homeowners will be holding those financial burdens………………………
Wake up people, they have nothing and that’s what they want you to to have.
Non-citizen voting is “bad news”. Migrant worker will be used to sway elections. Even if they live outside the municipalities.