click to enlarge Courtney Lamdin ©️ Seven Days
click to enlarge Courtney Lamdin ©️ Seven Days
The Burlington City Council is scrambling to prepare for an influx of unhoused people on city streets as the state winds down a pandemic-era motel shelter program in the next few weeks.At its meeting Monday, councilors took a modest step toward addressing the issue by calling for a study of the city’s existing camping policy. A resolution, which passed unanimously, also asks city staff to look into state funding to “alleviate the full cost of supporting the unhoused on city services.”Democrats, who have a functional majority on the council, were poised to delay Monday’s vote to give city and state officials more time to discuss the issue. But after 90 minutes of debate, including two recesses to hammer out a compromise, a plan finally took shape.”It may be a little bit messy sometimes, but we saw democracy and collaboration in action,” Council President Karen Paul (D-Ward 6) said. “I just want to give a huge shout-out to all of my colleagues for working so hard to get us to a place where we can all agree.”Council Progressives had been keen on altering the city’s camping ordinance to make it more permissive for those who have nowhere else to turn. A previous draft proposed allowing people to camp on public lands — such as city-owned wooded areas — when shelters are full. It asked city staff to study such a proposal.But Mayor Miro Weinberger, a Democrat, opposed that effort and wants
