The Burlington City Council will consider a proposal to consolidate oversight of the troubled finances and operations of Burlington Telecomm tonight. The mayor and a number of city councilors want to replace the previous advisory committee and Blue Ribbon Committee with a Burlington Telecom Advisory Board that is supposed to advise BT management, the mayor, and Council “on operational matters, potential partners, and issues relating to pending litigation” and make recommendations “on any matter concerning BT for which action is required.”
The council is financially responsible for overseeing BT operations, the resolution notes, but “there is a continuing need for a group of citizens with a background in business to regularly review and advise.”
The proposed members of the BTAB board, who are currently on the Blue Ribbon committee, include David J. Provost, a vice president at Champlain College; Pat Robins, chairman and founder of SymQuest; David Parker, director of corporate development for Dealer.com; Council President Joan Shannon, and Councilors Karen Paul and Vince Brennan.
Mayor Miro Weinberger says he fully supports the consolidation of BT. “The council’s move away from the status quo of having two citizen advisory groups oversee BT, to a model that tasks the BTAB with advising the City Council on all aspects of BT, makes good sense,” Weinberger said in a statement. “In a time of great turmoil and skepticism, the individuals who will serve on the BTAB have earned the public’s trust over the last three years during their service on the BT Blue Ribbon Commission and my trust during my first six months as mayor. The BTAB is the right body to be overseeing BT in the immediate future.”
Joan Shannon, the city council president, said in a statement: “Having different boards overseeing different aspects of BT has left holes in the oversight of the organization. It also has caused confusion regarding oversight responsibilities. One board with clear authority and clear direction will have a holistic view of this enterprise, be more accountable, and better able to advise the Council on all aspects of BT.”
The council will also take up a resolution to “revitalize” the Advisory Committee on Accessibility, which is charged with ensuring that all city services, programs and facilities and employment opportunities are accessible to people with disabilities. The committee is required to develop a new strategy and plan by February 2013. Mayor Weinberger will present candidates to fill current vacancies on Nov. 13 and expand the current committee by three additional city employee members. The new members would be appointed by the directors of Public Works and Church Street Marketplace, and the city’s Chief Administrative Officer.
In the first of two sessions this month, the council will discuss and act on a new plan from the mayor for the Champlain Parkway, King Street neighborhood and a Railyard Enterprise Project tonight. The resolution to accept Weinberger’s report authorizes the Community and Economic Development Office to work with the Metropolitan Planning Organization and requests quarterly progress reports with a timeline “so the Council and the community know where this project stands.” The resolution is sponsored by Councilors Joan Shannon, Karen Paul, Vince Brennan, Bryan Aubin, Chip Mason, and Norm Blais.
Before the full council meeting begins at 7:15 p.m. in Contois auditorium, the Board of Finance will convene in Room 12, the city’s busy ground floor conference room, followed by a council work session on PlanBTV, the downtown and waterfront plan.
The Public Forum period will begin at 7:30 p.m. Resolutions, the complete agenda, and other materials are available on the City of Burlington website: http://burlingtonvt.gov/CityCouncil/Agendas/
Early in the evening, the council will hear annual reports from the Electric Commission, the Library Commission and Parks and Recreation, and act on the mayor’s request to appoint Jesse Bridges as Parks and Recreation Director.
A report from Police Commission Chair Jerome O’Neill, which was dropped from the Sept. 24 agenda, has been postponed until Oct. 29. But a letter from O’Neill about the commission’s unanimous decision not to recommend an independent investigation of the July 29 clash between police at protesters in Burlington has been inserted in the consent agenda, which is approved without council discussion of the specific items.