There are eleven standing committees of the Burlington City Council, composed of councilors, the mayor, and administrative staff. With support from city staff and attorneys, committees write, research, and bring resolutions to the council, and review how approved resolutions get implemented. In short, this is where much of the work happens on the city council.

Committees are vital to the functioning of the city, and committee appointments can hold a lot of power (and responsibility). These appointments are made by the Council President, who also serves as an alternate voting member if a committee member has a conflict of interest, or there is a temporary vacancy.

The committees are as follows: 

Board of Finance: tasked with reviewing and issuing recommendations to the council on matters involving the finances of the city. Most notably, this includes the city’s budget, a topic of major interest as the city faces a 9 million dollar deficit. In addition to the Mayor and Council President, councilors are also elected to the BoF. On 4/1, that was:

• Joe Kane (P)
• Sarah Carpenter (D)
• Mark Barlow (I)

Barlow is the only carry-over from last year’s Board of Finance. With the additions of economist Kane and fiscally-minded Carpenter, this committee will have to hit the ground running to address the City’s deficit in the upcoming budget

Charter Change: responsible for reviewing changes to city policy that involve the city charter. This can include ballot questions brought forward by citizen petition, and changes to the administration of city departments, including the Fire and Police Departments. 

• Gene Bergman, Chair (P)
• Sarah Carpenter (D)
• Tim Doherty (D)

It is no surprise that Bergman, who often quotes the charter verbatim from memory during council meetings, would be selected to chair the Charter Change Committee. Doherty is a lawyer by trade, so brings an understanding of process. With no new councilors learning the ropes, Charter Change is primed for action in the early days of council.

Community Development and Neighborhood Revitalization (CDNR): addresses “quality of life” issues, and in the past has considered resolutions related to encampments. 

• Carter Neubieser, Chair (P)
• Evan Litwin (D)
• Joe Kane (P)

This is the only committee solely comprised of freshman councilors. CDNR often handles highly controversial topics—the combo of subject matter and new voices will make this an interesting committee to watch. Will Litwin, a Democrat with a history of supporting Progressive candidates and causes, work well with two Progs? Or will his new allegiance to Democrats grind this committee to a halt?

Ordinance: addresses changes in city policy that would require new ordinances or changes in existing ordinances. 

• Joan Shannon, Chair (D)
• Becca Brown McKnight (D)
• Gene Bergman (P)

With the combined experience of Shannon and Bergman, the Ordinance Committee will be quite the training ground for newcomer Brown McKnight. Ordinances, along with the City Charter, are the nuts and bolts of Burlington’s governmental structure. With the two senior councilors on either end of the council’s political spectrum, will Brown McKnight become a unifying presence, or will she vote a party line with Shannon? Stay tuned.

Parks, Arts, and Culture (PACC): covers an array of topics such as our parks, events, and art installations. Recently, PACC established a task force to explore the issues associated with off-leash dogs, and solutions to this matter. 

• Becca Brown McKnight, Chair (D)
• Carter Neubieser (P)
• Mark Barlow (I)

Barlow previously served on Burlington’s Parks, Recreation, and Waterfront Commission; his continued presence on PACC makes sense. Neubieser brings a background of advocacy work that is well suited for the intersections we see in today’s parks—climate, social justice, and substance use disorder. However, it is McKnight setting the agenda as the chair, while also representing the ideological middle in the group of three. We’ll be watching PACC closely.

Public Safety: explores and addresses matters of policing, the opioid crisis, crime, and any other issue that has an impact on public safety. 

• Melo Grant, Chair (P)
• Mark Barlow (I)
• Carter Neubieser (P)

Serving on committees comes with sway, but also an obligation to actually do the work— which is especially of note given the heavy lifting ahead on public safety. Grant is a former Police Commissioner, and perhaps the most vocal critic of Chief of Police Jon Murad. A source close to the Burlington Eye shared that Grant requested two Democrats serve on the committee alongside two Progressives—and instead got one conservative independent. Against the backdrop of Democrats making public safety their top issue in the election, the same party declined to participate in the most essential place where that work happens. With that in mind, Progressives now control the committee and with the victory of EMS, have a mandate to work hard on community safety issues that affect Burlingtonians. 

Transportation/Energy/Utilities (TEUC): covers all matters relating to transit, the Net Zero Roadmap, and utility matters like electric, water, sewer, and telecommunications. TEUC spent much of the 2023/2024 session hearing public concerns of the McNeil plant, including hosting a symposium on the controversial McNeil District Heating plan.

• Mark Barlow, Chair (I)
• Gene Bergman (P)
• Evan Litwin (D)
• Marek Broderick (P)

Barlow and Bergman remain from last session’s TEUC. New additions Litwin and Broderick come to this committee having both campaigned to get Burlington on track with its climate goals. Had TEUC remained a three-member committee, the addition of Broderick would have led to a Progressive majority. With Litwin added in, and the District Heating vote behind the council, we’ll see if this committee can work together on meaningful climate policy for the city.

Four additional committees will meet throughout the year:

Human Resources (HR): reviews complaints and potential removals of city employees. This committee can also review union grievances. It also approves changes to city employee policy. 

• Sarah Carpenter, Chair (D)
• Evan Litwin (D)
• Marek Broderick (P)

Licensing Committee: responsible for all licenses or permits that require City Council approval, as established by city ordinance.

• Joan Shannon, Chair (D)
• Melo Grant (P)
• Marek Broderick (P)

Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (REIB): works closely with the REIB Office to advocate for equity, inclusion, and belonging. The REIB Committee recently endorsed a resolution that closed gaps in city policy that allowed for discrimination to proliferate in a New North End Neighborhood Planning Assembly. 

• Melo Grant, Chair (P)
• Gene Bergman (P)
• Becca Brown McKnight (D)

Tax Abatement: receives recommendations from a three member quasi-judicial body that reviews and hears tax abatement requests. This committee meets several times a year, mostly between September and February. 

• Tim Doherty, Chair (D)
• Joe Kane (P)
• Joan Shannon (D)

With committees set and Organization Day behind us, the council, alongside our new mayor, is set to begin the hard work of governing. Follow the Eye to keep up to date on government happenings in the Queen City.

Written by the Burlington Eye Collective