Burlington’s package of charter changes, which in part propose changes to Burlington’s eviction rules and allow for carbon taxing, stalled in committee this legislative session
But Rep. Sarah Copeland Hanzas, D-Bradford, and chair of the House Government Operations Committee, says the charter changes will be a priority next session — although she added that some proposals are likely to meet some resistance moving forward.
The charter change package had four components, and was approved by voters this past March:
— Establish a ranked-choice voting system for city council races.
— Adopt an ordinance that would bar landlords from evicting tenants without cause, which is currently allowed under state law.
— Allow the City Council to adopt an ordinance that would clear a path forward to regulate heating systems or impose a carbon tax.
— Add one Winooski voter and one Burlington voter to the Board of Airport Commissioners of the City of Burlington.
The only charter change proposal that advanced was the airport commission voter additions. The proposal was siphoned off into a separate bill that made its way to the Senate chamber but wasn’t passed on to a committee before the end of the session.
Copeland Hanzas said her committee didn’t have time this session to take up the charter change package, primarily because the panel was dealing with the complicated state pension issue and changes to the state’s cannabis law.
She said she also planned to ask the House Committee on General, Housing and Military Affairs to take a look at the just cause charter change, and the House Energy and Technology Committee to consult on the heating regulations charter change. But both committees were also swamped, she said.
“I’m disappointed,” she said. “There are some really neat things that the City of Burlington is doing with respect to regulating their energy use, which is really in my heart of hearts what I’d like to see happen. And I want to see them get started on experimenting on the kinds of things that the rest of the country needs to do.”
She expects the heating regulation and just-cause charter changes will meet the most opposition. Support for the proposals will likely fall along partisan lines, she said.
Sen. Jeanette White, D-Windham, committee chair of Senate Government Operations, said she hadn’t seen Burlington’s charter change proposals yet because they haven’t crossed into her chamber. She said she couldn’t comment on whether she thinks they’ll meet resistance in her committee.
